Cadian Blood:Worlds Apart, In Hell Together
by Johnnieboy11
Summary: The Fall of Cadia did much to the morale of the Imperium. As the Cicatrix Maledictum and its recurring Warp-Storms opened, one such storm caught, at the whim of a higher being, a Regiment of almost 5,000 soldiers more young than most you'd see in the Guard, shipping them to a new world, with new threats and, perhaps, a chance at Retribution.
1. Prologue:Bruhl

_As the Emperor Protects, so must we._

_-Unknown Guardsman, Cadian 13th Heavy Mixed Regiment "The First Youth"_

_Ask not what the Imperium and Emperor can do for you, but what you can do for them_

_-Lord General Ionna Keller, Imperial 75th Assault Army "The Thunder Hammers"_

_Death stands before us wherever we go. And wherever we go, we shall spit in its face and let our Tanks roll over it_

_-Colonel Matias Telos, Cadian 13th Heavy Mixed Regiment "The First Youth"_

**_M41. Y999. M?. D?.  
_**

**_Unknown planet, post-events of the 13th Black Crusade_**

**_Cadian 13th Heavy Mixed Regiment:The First Youth_**

**_Lieutenant Elaine "Phoenix" Maaran. Sixth Squad of Scouts. Sixteenth Company._**

Within few days, a bloody, long battle had been concluded. The Imperial Guard had fought hard and heavy against the 13th Black Crusade as it struck Cadia's shores with unparalleled ferocity. And the newly-christened 13th Heavy Mixed Regiment, a combo of multiple tactics ranging from Siege Artillery to Heavy Infantry and armored assault vehicles had been caught in the midst of combat. Then, something happened... And the Cadians awoke, scattered, within the green hills of this unknown planet. Thankfully, Vox still worked prim and proper.

"Thank the Emperor we found the Armored Companies, eh, El-Tee?" A younger girl asked, her lilac eyes scanning the trees as they advanced between them. Elaine murmured something in agreement, keeping her Las Rifle as close to her as she could. She didn't wanna get ambushed now of all times. Her squad had scattered at an interval of one meter from each-other in an effort to not get surprised by a Grenade. They took a wedge formation as well, with a solider hauling an Agripinaa-pattern Light Stubber and two packs of ammo for it.

Command hadn't had time to retrofit all of the 13th's units with Las-weapons, so some soldiers had to make do with Stubbers and the likes... Elaine squelched any thoughts of Cadia for now, looking up at the sky and noticing three plumes of smoke on their left, rising just enough into the clear sky to be seen past the canopy of the forest... She halted the squad with a hand signal and said "We've got a smoke plume at 9 o'clock. Redirect now."

"On it, ma'am." The gunner of the team said. The team swiveled about, weapons raised and scanning the trees around them. The Vox Officer stepped up beside the Lieutenant and extended her the transmitter and receiver. The woman took them, put the latter to her ear and the former to her mouth "This is Sixth Scout Squad. The Emperor Protects, Colonel."

"_The Emperor Protects, Lieutenant." _The youthful voice of the First Youth's colonel spoke. Despite being just a slight bit older than the rest of the Regiment at around 19 years of age, he was a good officer. Led them through the many skirmishes and engagements during the Battle for Cadia. "_Status report?" _His calm voice inquired. The woman paused for a moment as they approached the edge of the forest...

She hummed as she saw it, a burning village ahead. Dozens of civilians fled in motor vehicles, whilst soldiers clad in armors made of steel and brown uniforms gunned them down... Pursing her lips, the woman reported "We've got sight on a village under attack. Unknown military, resembling Feudal World PDFs is engaging and killing civilians as they attempt to flee..." And... Despite her best urges to stop herself, the Lieutenant asked "Permission to engage, Colonel?"

"_Granted. Any requests for reinforcements?" _The boy inquired... And the woman noticed long tanks with a single turret and what looked like a mortar sweeping into town. Small, very lightly armored and poorly designed... She hummed, then spoke "Requesting two Sentinels with Las Cannons to come in and assist us. The unknowns have light armor in town... I may just attempt talking to them, sir. If all else fails, we gun them down."

"_Engage at your leisure, Lieutenant. The Sentinel Second Squad is en-route." _The Colonel spoke "_Telos out." _And the line went dead. She handed the transmitter to the Vox Officer, then readied her lasgun. Gazing down the scope of the weapon, she saw a thick wooden gate under attack, where most of the unknown Feudal troops were converging. A girl and several Town Watchmen, as it seemed, engaged the incoming waves...

"That gate." The woman motioned toward it. "We move to reinforce."

The Guard Squad skittered down the mountain, keeping rifles raised and watching as not to be attacked suddenly. Creeping through buildings and into a side street that led to the Watch Group's position, the Imperial Guard squad emerged on the flank of one of the squads firing at them. Raising her Lasgun to greet an enemy unit, Elainesaid "Cease your fire! What is the meaning of this?!" in a demanding tone...

Two of the Feudal-armored soldiers looked to each-other, then raised strange stubbers... And fired first. Bullets whizzed past the woman's ears and two rounds hit her armor plate, falling to the floor or shattering on impact with the plate. The woman sighed deeply, shaking her head, then said "There's never a dull moment in the Guard... SQUAD! EXECUTE THE TRAITORS THAT DARE FIRE UPON HIS HAMMER!"

"The Emperor Protects!" The squad chanted in unison, raising their energy weapons... A wave of scarlet light washed over a platoon of enemy units as Town Watchman Captain Alicia Melchiott, a woman with chestnut-colored hair and hazel eyes watched in horror. The East Autocratic Empire's infantrymen seemed to char immediately under the focused fire of a squad of 12 troopers clad in emerald armor and overalls with unseen-before camouflage patterns. Their weapons were boxy and emanated heat energy that seemed to boil the air ahead as well as the Imp troopers that charged at them.

"... My God..." Alicia muttered, eyes wide in shock. Her friend and fellow town watch member, Susie, stared on, a hand covering her mouth as she held a medical bag in one hand. Her rifle lay leaning against the sandbag wall they took cover behind. A woman led the team of 12 futuristic-yet-actual-looking soldiers. She had a strange symbol on the left armor plate on her shoulder. A skull, a helmet and two crossed weapons, below which was written in white letters of an odd font the name of their unit...

**_Cadian 13th_**

**_"The First Youth"_**

Scanning the face of the woman, Alicia froze up... She had the looks of a 16-year-old girl you'd see in Gallia's high schools, but her demeanor, her toned body and even the scars on her face told Alicia it was no mere schoolgirl. Instead, she gave the feeling of a nightmare, of a soldier that had seen too much for her age and that had enough experience to outdo even Gallia's most hardened veterans...

The Squad Leader, turned her lilac eyes to meet Alicia's. She lowered her rifle as she noticed wounded Watchmen and even two dead ones in the far back of the defensive position, then said "Greetings... Hope you'll be more cooperative than your..." She looked at the corpses burned and honeycombed by Laser Fire that her squad had left on the ground, then turned to Alicia again and said "Compatriots."

She looked to her team, then gazed over the 'boulevard' that led to a cracked gate and signaled her team to scatter and ready for an incoming second attack. She then jumped over the sandbag wall, slinging the weird rifle she wielded on her back and looking at Alicia. Alicia gave a nod and showed the Town Watch to lower their rifles too, before placing a hand on her chest and saying "I'm Alicia Melchiott... Captain to the Bruhl Town Watch... Who... Who are you people?"

The Lieutenant spoke calmly, at an unspoken behest of Alicia. "I'm Lieutenant Maaran. Sixth Scout Platoon. And we, Captain Melchiott? We are the Cavalry."

"Ma'am! Approaching enemy Light Armor!" Reported the Vox Officer, readying his weapon. "Counting 2 extra enemy units in support, at least Platoon Strength!"

"Fear not, Voxcaster." The Lieutenant drew her rifle and took up a defiant posture. "We've weapons able to pierce that weak armor of theirs coming our way! Stand fast, men! The Emperor watches! Let us show Him He did not spare us for naught!" and, as her men gave a cheer in response, she looked to Alicia, then spoke calmly "You and your fellow watchmen may rest... Let the Guard handle this."

The woman stepped over the sandbag wall, rifle at the ready, then took cover beside the man in heavier armor and hauling what looked like a projectile-based LMG. The house they hid behind took a first shell from a tank, sending brick and glass fragments flying into the street. But the Scout Squad found themselves relatively unharmed... The Lieutenant peeked out as bullets struck pavement and walls and snapped off a shot with her Laser weapon. The angry lance of light slammed into the chest of one of the Troopers and sent him to the floor, a cauterized wound where his heart used to be.

A volley of laser fire then followed the Lieutenant's own, as well as the chattering of the Stubber, forcing the enemy to take cover. Return fire came quickly from the tanks in the form of SMG and Rifle fire. A stick grenade flew in the middle of the Formation of troopers, between the Lieutenant and another of the men. The latter grabbed the 'nade and hurled it back, only for it to explode mid-flight.

A tank shot its main gun and struck the gate, making a sizable dent... But it didn't break. The second tank's shell went high and wide, striking a hilltop behind it. Shrapnel from the shell struck a Civilian transport, wounding few of the people inside. The Lieutenant scowled, swiveling from her cover and firing again with pin-point accuracy. The bastard that charged toward her had his throat burst open from the heat. Left with a cauterized stump for a neck and head, the man fell to the floor, skidding a mere few steps away from the woman. She didn't stop firing.

Alicia stared in awe at the soldiers that fought to defend them. She was glad all of her own team were too busy to bother raising rifles when they saw these green-clad warriors step into full view of the line of defense. She felt fear too, as she watched them mirthlessly fire their weapons. Cold and calculate, each shot meant for a target. Several rounds scraped one's armor, knocking him off-balance. Doubling over and regaining his composure, the soldier wearing a helmet, goggles and a respirator mask on his face snapped up his strange, box-like rifle with a skull and wings of gold on its side and snapped off a shot right back...

... One of the tanks that was about to engage them burst aflame as a lance of energy punched through its front armor, melting it from the inside out. The tank exploded as the ammunition inside cooked, spewing flame out of the melted hole in its front... And, hearing the blonde girl next to her, Susie, gasp, she turned to see an incredible sight... Bipedal walker vehicles, fast and agile, emerged from between the buildings, their weapons spewing death toward the enemy vehicles...

A second lance, one from the leading armored Walker, shot out. The second tank burst aflame as its thin side armor was punched clean through in diagonal by the energy weapon. The snap-crackle of infantry-based Laser weapons filled the air as a second platoon of Infantry, this one with heavier armor than their counterparts, also appeared behind them, with five more Walkers. Eight walkers per total appeared in the square, their 'heads' moving to aim the weapons. One had a heavy machine gun that spewed 40mm rounds down range. Rounds that detonated on impact...

The soldiers in armor were sent into a rout. A dozen infantrymen scrambled for their lives, throwing away black rifles and machine guns to run away. Dozens were picked off by Lasguns and cannons, burning their skin. The Lieutenant looked to her team and declared loudly "Not one escapes! KILL THEM!" then raised her rifle and snapped off six shots, each hitting a retreating enemy in the back and killing or wounding them.

"W-W-W-WHAT?!" Alicia balked, staring up at the mechs walking speedily past them and chasing down retreating East Empire troops just as she processed the visual information. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets as she watched one of the mechs' "heads" cock around quickly, scanning the place... She then saw a man clad in light armor, with a brown uniform and a black tanker's hat, emerge from the top of the vehicle. He seemed as young, if not younger, than the Lieutenant... Pulling out a pair of binoculars, he scanned the surrounding area... Then spoke something into his Radio.

"Armor, heavier Variation! Approaching our area!" An Infantryman spoke as he approached from the Alleyway "Doesn't look hostile, ma'am!"

"What, it painted blue?" The Lieutenant sarcastically asked. She got a nod from the soldier... Then saw the armored vehicle approach. It had rolling frontal armor, heavy side-skirts and a mid-length 8,8cm Cannon. Alicia stood up and moved toward it, to which the Lieutenant asked her "Know this tank, Captain Melchiott?" to which the girl shrugged... A young, blonde-haired man appeared from the top cupola and turned bug-eyed at the sight of the mechs.

"Welkin?! Since when do you have a tank!" Alicia yelled at him "And do you know these people!?"

"Weapons down!" Ordered the Lieutenant to her men. She walked up beside Alicia and said "I'm Lieutenant Maaran, Cadian Thirteenth. State your name, rank and unit."

The man looked upon Elaine and seemed a hint surprised... But he answered calmly "Welkin Gunther... I haven't been instated with a rank or unit yet." Before he jumped out of the vehicle... A young, blue-haired girl wearing a shoal popped her head out of the driver's hatch of the tank, her dark-blue eyes wide as she stared at the Sentinel Walkers and Infantry pouring into town.

The Lieutenant hummed, then looked over to her Voxcaster as the soldier approached, handing her the transmitter. "Elaine here... Yessir... Understood, sir. We'll get in line with the Civilian Column as soon as possible, sir. Roger. Scout platoon out..." Before handing the mic back and saying "All units, rally up! We're moving out to assist in escorting the Civilians from this village and rendezvousing with the rest of the Regiment on the road to the capital! Mobilize!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The entire unit, including the drivers of the Sentinels, chorused, before turning to their work. The Lieutenant cocked her head to the boy named Welkin, then said "We will require a person who knows their way to your Capital... We mean no harm to your people, but we wish to have a clear sight picture over whom we can shoot and those we cannot."

"... I see..." The man said, then gave a nod "Alright... We'll lead the way."

"Welkin, are you sure?!" Alicia snapped "These guys just-"

"Saved you, Captain." The Lieutenant said with a tone that sent a chill up Alicia's spine "You're welcome..." And with that, she looked to her men and called out "Move out!" before walking toward a convoy of civilian vehicles and people with her squad. Welkin and Alicia exchanged glances... Then the girl boarded the vehicle with him and let it leave... She didn't want to look at Bruhl. Not like this...


	2. The Hammer of the Emperor

The thick forest within which the Imperial Guard's 13th Cadian had found themselves was wide and expansive enough to hide most of the Regiment in case of Aerial Reconnaissance. Thankfully, it was also split by a network of multiple country roads that lead in all directions allowing for vehicles and troops to Rendezvous. And right now, the Regiment needed to know the right path toward what could possibly be friendly forces. They were on a planet unknown to them, with no intelligence to tell them where to go, who would be allied and who wouldn't.

From atop his Baneblade, the _Hammer of Faith_, an ancient vehicle given to him by Lord Creed himself during the Defense, Colonel Matias Telos watched his men and women being formed up by the Commissars. So far, most of the surviving regiment, around 5,000 souls, had reformed with the Command corps and the Armored Fighting Vehicles and tanks. As if in a marshalling yard, crew moved to their vehicles and, with a dozen Techpriests' help, maintained and looked over the vehicles...

Colonel Telos was young by every Imperial Guard commander's standard, and yet he was the oldest in the Regiment. Having turned 18 years old on the eve of the Battle for Cadia, the young man, promoted to lead his Regiment of what was formerly whiteshields, had buzz-cut sandy golden hair similar to many of the Cadians you'd see written about, as well as a pair of deep blue eyes that were courtesy of his second line of heritage, that of a Kriegsman... He was half Cadian and Half Krieg by blood, with his mother having been a soldier in the Death Korps' 314th Heavy Infantry... He knew all too well the losses sustained by them...

His father was a factory worker that had achieved the rank of Lieutenant during the Lorn V Campaign under General Sturnn... Matias knew his family's pedigree too well. From heroes of the 12th Black Crusade, to unnamed soldiers that fought on Vraks, to combined units who fought on Armaggedon and finally, to his two beloved parents, both of which he lacked the memories of. Blurry remnants from almost eight years ago were all that remained of the two...

Marching on-deck with the last Chimeras, his Kasrkin complement, of around 100 men and women, had finally come through. Happily walking toward him, a helmet off her head to reveal jet-black hair and deep teal eyes, the Major leading the Kasrkin group, going by the name of Amanda MkVenner or simply Amy to most, himself included, slung her Hellgun on her back and stopped in front of the Baneblade, bringing up a hand to her forehead and saying "Major MkVenner, Kasrkin Battalion, at your service, sir. The Emperor Protects." with a strong accent common to Cadians, but with slips of Tanith between it.

Matias saluted back and said calmly "Welcome home, Major. The Emperor Protects, indeed... Safe trip?"

"Could'a been less bumpy, sir. But aye." The girl answered calmly, grin withstanding. She looked over to her right, to see the Commissar Major and his unit of company, Platoon and squad-based Commissars walking toward them. The boy himself was also quickly promoted in the face of the 13th Black Crusade... Coal-black eyes and even blacker hair complimented the face of a teenage boy at barely 17 years, much like Amy... The Kasrkin's grin widened and said "Colin! Ya live!"

The Commissar's sharp gaze turned to meet the Kasrkin as he spoke "Indeed." tipping his hat to her "Good to see you yet live too, Major."

"Aw, come on! Don't be so damn cold." Amy sighed. She looked to the Colonel, who seemed to hold a grin, then said "Y'see, sir, this is the kinda thing I hafta deal with."

"Me being an officer... Quaint." The Commissar quipped. He looked up at the Colonel and said "Vox reports a column of Civilian vehicles, Scout Unit Six and a friendly tank are en-route to our position, sir. Lieutenant Elaine was kind enough to have a talk with some locals and provide us a location to head to:The Capital City of the Nation State we find ourselves in..."

"Undiscovered planet, then..." The Colonel rubbed his chin. "Very well then. Thank you for the update, Commissar. Gather the men and women. Prepare our vehicles. And compile me a list of all available assets so I know what we're working with."

"Sir." The Major saluted. "The Emperor Protects."

"The Emperor Protects, Major. Dismissed." Matias said, before jumping off the vehicle and looking to Amy. He motioned to her to provide escort while they went toward the road. Watching as Sentinels first emerged from the curb, followed by a bunch of civilian trucks, cars and even horse-drawn carriages. At the front, beside the Sentinels, was also a tank with a deep-blue camouflage pattern, an 88mm Cannon and medium armor... Riding atop it was Scout Unit Six and a man with platinum hair and civilian clothing. Elaine gave a wave from aboard the Vehicle to the Colonel.

"Huh. Weird lil' tank." Amy commented, grinning.

The Colonel hummed in agreement. As the convoy made it to the clearing, the Civilians' eyes went wider than they were. The Sentinels halted and the Convoy stopped in its tracks as well... And the young Colonel waved his Medicae Corps forward. He stopped the Corps' leader and said "Make sure every Civilian is tended to and watch our MRE supplies. We're not here to cause a ruckus. Instead, to show them we're friendly."

"Sir." The Corpsman nodded, before stepping off to aid in unloading wounded Civilians and triaging them. And from aboard the blue tank that had just parked in beside the Sentinels, the blonde boy jumped out and walked to the Colonel. A gaze filled with shock swept the surrounding area... And as if Welkin Gunther hadn't seen Scout Unit Six, he saw the Cadian Kids and stumbled... Following him, Alicia and a dark-blue-haired girl with a shoal and green dress appeared from the tank, surprise just as evident...

The Colonel walked to meet Welkin midway. The two stopped in front of each-other and the tank boy noticed that, despite an age difference, the Cadian soldier was about as tall as him, but with a more toned body, probably from the days of combat. The sandy-haired boy nodded to Welkin and said "Greetings. I'm Colonel Telos, of the Cadian 13th Imperial Guard Regiment."

"... Imperial...?" Welkin's brow quirked up as his heart skipped a beat "You guys aren't from the East Empire, are you?"

"... No? We're from the Imperium of Man..." The boy hummed... A False Empire, perhaps... "Are these East Imperials soldiers clad in steel plate armor?"

"Yeah... Knights almost." Welkin spoke, dumbfound. "Not like you."

"Then we aren't of the same False Empire as them." The Colonel shook his head, but Welkin noticed faint body motions. "What's your name?"

"I'm Welkin Gunther... A pleasure, Colonel." He gave a nod "And... Can I say, without offending you... It feels weird to call a boy that's definitely younger than me a Colonel?"

The Cadian snorted "Not at all, mr. Gunther. I'm still getting used to the position myself... Though I am the oldest in my Regiment... Come along, we've much to discuss." And he waved the man forward. As the group walked toward where the Civilians were being tended to, Welkin craned his head to the right... And the more he saw of this Regiment, the more awed he was. At least three battalions' worth of troopers were being aligned and readied to move by what seemed to be officers wearing peaked caps and very definitively visible longcoats and uniforms.

Following behind those battalions were the men and women tending to what looked like APCs that were about the size of their own tank and three lines of 132mm Self-Propelled Artillery Pieces, their barrels raised at an angle like a forest of crooked trees. To the side of that were a dozen of the Sentinel Walkers lined neatly, with a few more behind them and finally, finishing up the roundabout, multiple tanks with the same chassis but different gun types lined the left... With one massive super-tank in the center, with 11 gun barrels sticking out of it... God above, what were these kids?

Isara, the stepsister of Welkin, stepped up beside her brother, eyes wide too, but instead of a fearful gaze, she smiled in awe at the technology around her. The Colonel stopped in front of the Civilians and Medicae and one of the soldiers bearing the red symbol of the Medics on his arm plates saluted and said "Sir! All Civilians accounted for, sir! No major wounds or injuries, just bumps and scratches. They should be good to move."

"Return them to their vehicles, then, Medicae. And keep them safe until we too can begin our travel toward the Capital." Matias spoke calmly, giving a nod. The soldier nodded back and turned to the people, allowing Matt to look over to Welkin again and say "I wish not to intrude, but from what I understood via Vox com, these... False Imperials... Your people fight have fired on civilians?"

"Yeah... A family died in front of me and Alicia, actually." Welkin sighed.

"Well... Just let them keep giving the Guard reason to engage them." The Colonel said, then his gaze shifted to the deep, dark-blue eyes of the girl beside him and he froze for a moment. The girl, too, stopped, blushing a bit. The Colonel smiled and gave her a simple nod, before clearing his throat and continuing "Mister Gunther, I do wish to ask you one thing:guide us to your capital. If your people fight these Eastern Pretenders, then maybe we can forge an alliance and drive them out of your homeland..."

"You'd... Do that?" Welkin seemed surprised.

"Of course... They shot at my men and murdered Civilians as they went, mr. Gunther. Human civilians. I don't think I or my men will stand for that." The Colonel gave a nod... Welkin found himself more and more surprised by the spry young man's wit. And the fact that, as a Colonel, he could maintain this joker attitude. He sighed, then gave a nod, before saying "We'll take lead of the Convoy... Just keep your vehicles close by, okay?"

"Certainly... Now, excuse me, I must address the men." The Colonel gave a nod, before turning to Isara and smiling again. This time, he received a smile back. He looked to the approaching Commissar Major, who saluted again. Matt saluted as well.

"The troops are lined up and are awaiting for you to address them, Colonel." The soldier gave a respectful nod to his friend.

Matt, with all due haste, stepped off toward his supertank, climbing on top of the 11-gun monstrosity. He turned to all of the soldiers around and spoke, cuing into the Vox bead and linking with the vehicles' Vox as well... Straightening up, a grin on his face, the trooper spoke "Sons and Daughters of Cadia! A decree has been made that reverberated through the wretched Warp today! One that the bastard sons of Chaos shall learn to fear! As He on Holy Terra has decreed:WE STAND!"

The Guardsmen slammed fists into their armors' chests thrice, cheering aloud "URAH! URAH! URAH!" in synchronization to the thumping.

"The God Emperor has allowed our safe passage through the vile dimension that houses the False Gods of Chaos and their legions of damnable daemons! He has looked upon our Regiment, witnessed our fight and knew very well we would _die _before we gave up an inch of His Hallowed Ground, of our own Home, to the monsters and traitors that dared step foot onto it!" The boy continued, his voice strong, hard, his resolve of Steel... And the Cheers of his men and women emboldened him...

"And as the planet cracked under our feet, as our Home broke below us and the hordes of Eternal Damnation marched toward us, WE STOOD OUR GROUND! And within the final moments of our home planet, we would've gladly given our own lives in her defense. That is what we did..." He seemed to slow down a bit, looking at his men and women... And Welkin noticed too, some seemed to be tightening grips on their weapons... Matias sighed, continuing "BUT THE EMPEROR CHOSE FOR US ANOTHER PATH! HE HAS ALLOWED US ANOTHER CHANCE AT LIFE! And... Another War to prove ourselves in!"

"URAH!" The Cadians cried in synch again...

The boy started pacing back and forth, looking at his troops, his hands behind his back "It appears as though the small feudal Nation-State we find ourselves in is facing Pretenders to the Emperor's Throne! Traitors! FALSE IMPERIALS!" And, hearing roars of disapproval from his men, relating to their new foe, the Colonel of the Guard continued "They attacked our men! They shot at one of our scout units! They murdered Civilians in a Village not too far from here! These vile degenerates are not here to talk peace with us! They are not here to unify the planet! They are a plague to the free peoples of this planet! One the Emperor must've sent _us _to deal with!"

Yet again... Another cheer...

"And, as I stand here today, I decree myself, as we have done before, that if the need arises and the people of this nation and planet accept the Imperial Truth and our Alliance, _CADIAN BLOOD_ WILL BE SPILLED TO DEFEND THEM!" He drew his Power Sword and raised it to the sky, to the ever-louder cheers of his soldiers. He continued proudly "BE IT A LEGION, A WARBAND, DAEMONS OR THIS FALSE EASTERN EMPIRE, WE SHALL SHOW THEM ALL _THE REASON THE **PLANET **BROKE BEFORE THE **GUARD!**_"

And the Cheers became loud enough to deafen the thunder of their vehicles' engines. Soldiers raised their rifles, cried their rallying cries and smiled. Welkin had to take a moment to process what Matias had been saying. The Colonel waved to the Commissars and spoke through Vox "Get to your vehicles and prepare to move! We join the Convoy and head for the capital!"

To the order, the soldiers marched off toward their armored vehicles. The Colonel looked to Welkin, Isara and Alicia and gave them a salute, then boarded his the Super-Tank himself. Welkin looked to the two girls and said "Well... I guess we should start leading the Convoy then..."

"I'm going to be 100 percent honest... These kids scare me..." Alicia said as they started walking toward where the civilian vehicles were.

"They do not seem to be kids my age as much as actual Soldiers..." Isara mused, then heard the rumble of engines and saw that the Supertank moved first, its treads grinding against the dirt as it advanced toward the Convoy. Following it were several heavy tanks, the artillery pieces, transport vehicles and even the Sentinel Walkers. It was an awe-inspiring sight to behold... The trio turned to their tank and boarded it too, before taking lead of the Convoy...

Aboard the _Hammer of Faith_, Colonel Telos looked over the list that Colin had given him...

* * *

**_CADIAN FIRST YOUTH_**

**_Roster_**

**_ACTIVE DUTY-5,000 GUARDSMEN_**

**_COMMAND BATTALION-Reduced to reinforce other Battalions_**

_Singular Baneblade, Cadian Pattern-Command Vehicle_

_5 Leman Russ Annihilator escorts_

_Chimera Command Vehicle_

_1 Macharius Vulcan-Pattern tank_

_500 Guardsmen including Colonel and the 4 Majors, as well as the Magos._

**_ARMORED BATTALION-Multiple vehicles salvaged from Cadian Battlefield and repurposed during final days as Battalion Reinforcements_**

_13 Leman Russ Basic Battle Tanks, varying Sponson load-outs_

_17 Vanquishers_

_5 Executioners_

_5 Thunderer Siege Tanks_

_10 Incinerator Leman Russ Tanks_

_10 Punisher Leman Russ Tanks_

_1 Eradicator_

_9 Destroyer Tank Hunters_

**_ARTILLERY BATTALION-Severely depleted after Cadia._**

_20 Basilisk Self-Propelled Artillery Pieces_

_Varying Mortar Carriers-10_

_10 Multi-Launch Rocket Systems, "The Imperial Organ"_

_10 Munitions Transport Vehicles_

_Ammunition-Approximately 60 days' worth_

**_ENGINSEER BATTALION-Reinforcements provided by Adeptus Mechanicus_**

_50 Martian Techpriests_

_100 Servitors_

_10 Combat Servitors_

_10 Skitarii Honor Guard_

_30 Enginseer Adepts_

_100 Non-Mechanicum Combat Engineers_

_5 Trojan Support Vehicles_

**_MECHANIZED INFANTRY BATTALION_**

_50 Chimera Transports, Varying loadouts_

_10 Gorgon Heavy Transports_

**_SCOUT BATTALION_**

_30 Scout Vehicles_

_30 Mobility Vehicles_

_500 Soldiers._

**_-END-_**

* * *

**_AN:Here comes the fun parts, bois'n'gals._**


	3. Cadia Stands!

The day had passed uneventfully on the walls of the Capital of Gallia, Randgriz. The local garrison stationed within the capital itself and the Royal Guard members deployed on the walls found it prudent to stay awake. The Regular Garrison, however, just found themselves asleep. The walls stood high and mighty, watched over by more than three thousand men and women... Among these men and women, there was the commander of one of the Divisions stationed near by Randgriz. Fresh from the deployment to the Central Front in Gallia, a tall, bulky man with smooth black hair and eyes, sat in Tower 07, his eyes peering through a pair of binoculars toward one of the many roads that led into Randgriz.

The 45-year-old veteran had the pins of a Brigadier General on his shoulders and collar. On his hip were twin Gallian-made Pistols in leather holsters, a pair of cutlasses and a white broadsword. Multiple medals adorned his chest, earned in the four grueling years of the First Europan War. His stern, fatherly gaze gave the vibe of a General who had seen and fought through much... And the scar on his cheek, one from a Bayonet, was enough to prove his worth to some...

But the rumbling engines made even Brigadier General Matthew Siegfried freeze. His binocular-aided gaze swept over the Battlefield and locked onto a Convoy of vehicles. They were filled to the brim and occupied from top to bottom by what looked like Infantry clad in dirty emerald armor and camouflage fatigues. As he zoomed in, he noticed that among their convoy of armored vehicles were Civilian transports and even a Gallian tank which he recognized...

The Walking mechanical vehicles moving beside it, however, were a frightening sight still...

... But something began to drown the sound of engines. The chant sent shivers down the spines of soldiers... And the General felt his heart sink as he saw the soldiers marching next to the vehicles, smiles on their faces as they sang, drums thundering slowly in cadence... _"Si Vis Pacem Parabellum! Dolcem Bellum Inexpertis! Cassus Belli! HEY! IMPERATOR VULT! HEY! INTER ARMA! HEY! SILENT LEGES! HEY! Bellum Omnium Contra omnes! __Bellum Omnium Calculo Est! Lus ad Bello! Lus ad Belli! Bella Gloria! Tu modo es Vita Nostra!__"_

The chant repeated as the soldiers approached and more of their vehicles appeared from the treeline. The man looked to the Tower Guard and ordered "Don't fire! I need to go talk to them!" before noticing that they allowed the Civilians forward... Siegfried hummed, then said "Open the gates to the civilians and our tank. Warn me if there's any shift below..."

And with that, William stepped off, quickly descending the battlements. He was met by a platoon of around 60 Wall Garrison members... He turned his head toward the massive gate as it propped open, its chains groaning under the strain. The door soon slid open and the Convoy of Gallian vehicles poured in. Meanwhile, the green-clad Troops stood outside, face-to-face with them... William went bug-eyed as he saw them...

Children...

Young children... Younger than even the Militia's youngest. They continued to chant proudly. A choir of young voices sounding like a marching band of battle-hardened veterans. The fact that the weapons on their backs had Bayonets affixed was even more disconcerting. But they didn't advance beyond the gates, so that must've counted for something. The armored vehicles lined up around and outside the gate, but their gun barrels were covered and not aimed at them...

The sea of green armor and the forest of bayonets parted as soldiers turned and stepped back, leaving space enough for one person to step through and allowing a group of four soldiers wearing more decorated armors and clothes to advance single-file. The man leading the platoon was young, unscarred, but his lilac eyes gazed forward with the look of a veteran. He was wearing armor all over his body and a cape on his shoulder, but he had no helmet, instead opting for a backpack and headset with communication items. On his belt were clipped a pistol and sheathed sword.

Following him was a girl wearing way heavier armor and hauling a gun that linked to her backpack via hoses... He dreaded what that weapon could do and was thankful it was holstered. She was a beautiful, youthful girl, bearing a grin of confidence as she sang along with their soldiers. Following her was a young, stern-looking young Officer with a gaze and expression of steel. He wore a long overcoat and peaked cap with a skull with wings emblazoned at the front. Finally, following them, was a taller man with a Tanker outfit. Less armor and more cloth.

"Soldiers! Hold!" The boy in the front of the row barked. The army's chanting ceased promptly and the Siegfried noticed that the emblems on the boy's collar were akin to those of a Colonel. He approached the General while his fellow officers held back, then extended his hand. As calm as William seemed to them, the fact that an army of what could well be thousands just showed up at their doorstep marched all the way here to get Civilians from god-knew-where was awe-inspiring. And frightening.

"Greetings. I'm Colonel Matias Telos, of the First Cadian Youth Regiment of the Imperial Guard... And no, we aren't part of the same kin as the traitors of the East." The soldier simply stated... William gripped his hand and shook it, giving a nod... The kid was younger than his own _son_, yet here he was, holding the rank of Colonel and commanding thousands of souls and hundreds of vehicles.

"A pleasure... Colonel..." The General nodded "My name's Brigadier General William Siegfried and... What else can I say besides welcome to Gallia and thank you for concerning yourselves to the safety of our civilians."

"No man, woman or child'll come under harm from traitors and pretenders where the Guard marches, Brigadier General." Matt spoke calmly. "We've made sure of that."

"Forgive me for being so brash, colonel, but I believe you've come to Randgriz for a reason?" William returned, noticing the Colonel shift his attention toward the Royal Palace. With a hum of agreement, the Colonel took a step through the gates of Randgriz and calmly looked over the Garrison Unit that'd come to greet them. They stared back, unsure of what he wanted...

Turning left to face the General again, the Colonel said with a simple smile on his face "We're here to speak terms for an alliance between us and your people."

... Beside going wide-eyed, Will had to take a moment to register what the young man before him had just uttered. They were offering to fight alongside them? "Why?"

"Simple, General." Matt uttered again, crossing his arms, but the smile remaining "They shot civilians in front of my men, they engaged my men in combat without even listening to what they had to say and tried to kill them. And their leaders fancy themselves pretenders to this world and all that is on it, human or material. What they did through these blasphemies was bring the wrath of the Emperor's Hammer down upon them and we would be glad to help deliver the killing blow to these bastards in His name."

The smile that he had while delivering that line shook William to the core... He took a moment to regard the boy, before asking "... What exactly are you and your people, Colonel?"

And without even flinching, the soldier answered "Cadians. Imperial Guard... The Hammer of the God-Emperor of Mankind." a pride in his voice that echoed among the men and women of his Regiment. Turning his head, the General saw the soldiers proudly standing at attention. The Colonel continued solemnly "Our people have stood for ten millennia against the darkest foes our life could muster against us. For ten millennia we've held them back... And even with our home broken, we will hold the foes of Man back time and again, be it on this world or any other... And only in Death will our duty end."

"HOOAH!" The Cadians cried proudly.

"So..." He locked eyes with the General "Shall we go meet your leaders?"

His mouth opened to speak, but... The scream "SIEGFRIED, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" stopped him... The gruff voice made Matias double over and cock his head to greet... An incoming fat, short man with black hair, a sharp beard and the look of the most moronic officer ever. As he stomped forward, his incessant screaming was the only thing Matt could hear. "I THOUGHT I ORDERED THAT NOBODY APPROACHES RANDGRIZ'S WALLS WITHOUT MY EXPRESS CONSENT! WHAT CAN'T YOU GET THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL!?"

... Matias favored to tune the fat man out, before sighing and asking "General Siegfried, _please _tell me you're commander-in-chief of the Gallian Military and not _this..._" He tilted his head with a sickly gaze to the tube of lard and finished "_Thing..." _while trying not to retch. General Siegfried shook his head, stifling a chuckle. If Matt had actually bothered to listen to the ranting man, now probably screaming at him and berating him... Slowly turning his gaze to meet that of what seemed to be the Cardboard General of Gallia, his glare seemed to pierce the man's soul hard enough that he stuttered shut up...

... It was either that, or the fact Matt had brandished his Power Sword and put the sharpened blade next to the man's throat. It wasn't active, of course... If it had been, he would probably have burned a little of that Neckbeard the thing before him had bothered to grow... With ice etched into every word, the Colonel spoke "I was addressing the Brigadier General, not _you, __whelp_. So if you'd be so kind as to stay out of the discourse of grown men, I'd find it worthwhile not to have my Commissar shoot you where you stand. We're here to make a deal..."

Gritting his teeth, his gloved fists clenching, the man barked in a breaking voice "H-HOW DARE YOU, YOU PETULANT CHILD! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I A-" Before squealing in fear as the blade thrummed to life, electricity arching off the tip and burning hairs... The Colonel turned fully toward the man, revealing the battle-scarred Carapace Armor he wore, including the rank pins, before speaking bluntly "I would suggest you hold your tongue before I _remove_ it for you..." and he noticed the rank of General pinned to the man's frilly uniform. Matt pursed his lips as he watched the coward trip and fall onto his fat ass... Several of the Wall Garrison stifled laughs or tried not to smile, as did Siegfried...

Amy was laughing, though. Heartily... Hell, even Colin hid a smile behind his hand...

"I have nor the time, nor the desire to care for or learn whom you may be. If I did, I dread my migraine, which appeared thanks to the sheer _incompetence _you emanate, mind you, would intensify a thousand-fold." Matt hammered his point across with every word. "I am here to talk to your Government leaders, not with an uppity manchild like you, who has clearly never tasted combat just from demeanor alone... You are probably some local nobleman whose rank was given to him due to nepotism... So talk to me only when you bear a scar like General Siegfried's."

And with that, he stowed his blade and said "Command Squad, follow me! We march with the Brigadier General... Communicate to the rest of the Regiment to hold on tight outside the gates!"

The others followed him, with General Siegfried taking front and ignoring Damon's annoyed calls for him... In the end, the Gallian Cardboard General decided to follow behind. As the group marched forward, Colin felt the need to whisper to Matias "Well done. I had half the mind of intervening myself... But I am glad my bolt pistol was not required for this one."

Matt snorted, then whispered back "We're not here to cause a bigger scene by executing one of theirs, Colin."

"Indeed." The Commissar nodded. As the group passed through the boulevards, the people of Gallia eyed the Cadians wearily. It seemed they weren't yet welcome... Alas, Matias had elected to keep his gaze locked forward. Progress would drive the people's view of the True Imperials and of the Guard itself. And progress always starts by looking forward and maintaining a brisk marching pace while walking forward, as his mother used to say.

The group marched then onto a set of stairs that led up to a decorated palace with a teal spiral motif on its towers and some of its architecture. Under watch from the Royal Guard, the group stepped inside, into the azure halls. Decorations, old paintings and furniture and even sets of armor bearing Gallian crests of Old lined the walls and pillars and many doors lay between, evenly lined up and facing each-other. Royal Guard turned and brought their hands up in salute as Generals Siegfried and Damon passed by with their guests in tow.

And as two guards pushed open the door, the group found themselves walking into the Throne Room. A large hall with an open blue marble floor and columns holding up balconies. Light penetrated through the many stained glass arch-windows above. And seated on a throne was a blue-eyed woman dressed in a fluffy dress and with a strange hat on her head. She was under guard of a young woman with short brown hair and deep blue eyes stared at them. She was wearing a Royal Guard Captain's uniform, that had the patch of a Dragon on the left breast pocket. A multitude of weapons resided on her person, among which a Carbine-type Auto-Gun and a Rapier... She seemed to smile upon noticing General Siegfried...

William nodded, then turned to the woman, who held a scepter and sat on the throne, and spoke "Your Highness... A pleasure to see you again."

"The pleasure is all mine, General Siegfried." The lady smiled, then turned to the Colonel "And whom might these soldiers be?"

William looked to the Colonel as he took a step forward, placed a clenched fist upon the left of his chest and gave a respectful nod and spoke calmly "I am Colonel Matias Telos, of the Cadian First Youth Regiment, Imperial Guard, madame. Behind me resides my Officer Cadre." motioning to the other Guardsmen and the Commissar present in the room. "We aren't of the same kin as the East Imperials, before you inquire... Our troops have been engaged by them."

"Welcome to Gallia." The Princess said warmly, standing up from her throne. She walked down the stairs from the throne and met the Colonel. She was shorter than him. Short enough that the Colonel had to gaze down at her. The battle-damaged suit of Carapace armor shined a dark shine in contrast to the blue of her dress. She extended her right hand, gripping the strange spiral lance scepter with her left. The Colonel shook it...

For all it was worth, it seemed as if the Princess spoke to him as an equal. A rarity nowadays, the Colonel thought. "I am pleasantly surprised, Princess... I'd half have thought I'd meet some local Lord with little regard for guests, much more so ones that come to offer help in your war."

"I am unlike many of the Royal Families present in Gallia... I am to be crowned Archduchess after all, Colonel." The young woman nodded "And believe me, I will openly welcome any help against the Imperials and ways to end the suffering of my people quicker." and the Colonel gave a smile. Commendable young woman. She was smart, quick with her wits and seemed calm, even facing an armored man like him.

"Shall we proceed to discuss the alliance?" The Colonel hummed.

"Folow me, please. My regent, Prime Minister Borg is awaiting in the conference room..." Cordelia motioned to a door on the left.

As they walked, the Colonel looked to both generals of the Gallian Military walking beside them, surprised. Must've been a rare occurrence indeed to have Noble Families talk to the common Soldiery, even to a Colonel and his Majors, like they were on equal footing. Entering the well-lit room, the group sat down at a large conference table. Matt saw a blonde man with a wig and facial hair similar to Damon's, as well as a skirt of sorts?

After a short greeting, the groups sat down face-to-face, with the Princess on the Colonel's right, at the head of the table and her Regent, Borg, seated to her right, on the opposite side of the table.

"Greetings." The Colonel spoke first, standing up. "I wish to cut straight to the chase, else I fear my men may get a little too rowdy."

"Understandable, Colonel." Borg spoke calmly. "I wish to ask where you are from, though."

The Colonel hummed "It's a long-winded explanation. One I doubt you'd believe unless you had witnesses to confirm it."

"Your gear tells me you aren't from around the bend, Colonel. Definitely not anywhere near us... Are you Vinn troops?" General Siegfried asked "Perhaps got lost on a Transport?"

"Vinn?" Colin's brow quirked up. "We're afraid that isn't the case, whatever country that may be. I doubt it's got access to our technology."

"And if it does it's... Probably worth looking into." Matt completed. "Anyways... We are from the planet of Cadia, in the Segmentum Obscurus' Cadian Sector. We are not from your world, most definitely. And our technology, such as Las-Guns, Plasma, the Baneblade and the Sentinels should tell you as such. Before you come and say we're lying or that it is impossible to come from any other world than here, trust us... Our ancestors have heard those exact words many times."

Surprise was evident in the eyes of the four Gallian Government and Military members present. The Princess, however, seemed excited... But Borg was reticent. He leaned forward and asked "Could you provide a demonstration of your technology, Colonel?"

... Without even flinching, Matt eyed a section of wall that was under repair, drew his Las Pistol and said "If you'll forgive me doing this..." before squeezing the trigger. The scarlet lance of energy melted part of the wall paneling. The wound left by the shot had also drilled into a line of electrical wiring, fusing the materials together... Hopefully, he didn't damage anything important...

Wide eyes were prevalent as the Colonel holstered his sidearm. He hummed, then explained "That was a Las, or, I guess in current terms, laser pistol. It fires a focused beam of energy out of the muzzle at the speed of light and it's able to reach its target quite easily, through any material, as you can see. So unless our foes decide to forego proper armor to wear mirrors..." He smirked "I doubt they'll be able to take a direct shot from the bigger variations."

"Do all your people wield these weapons, Colonel?" Borg seemed intrigued now.

"The entire Regiment is armed with standard Las-Rifles and Carbines, but we have projectile weapons, such as Shotguns, Bolters and Autocannons too. Our tanks still fire mostly armor-piercing shells and high-explosives, still..." He coughed, reminding himself they had Eradicators and multiple heavy Las-Cannons mounted onto other Russes. As well as the Tank Destroyers...

"If you don't mind me interjecting, Colonel... What happened to your people that made you leave Cadia?" Siegfried asked... And it seemed he hit a nerve. The gazes of the officers steeled... They hadn't left, had they? Not willingly anyways... Will pursed his lips and turned over to Borg, who hummed, hands folded together on the table, before he waved on...

"You want to know the story?" Matt hummed, a sullen look on his young face... "Very well..."

* * *

**_Flashback to Cadia. The Final Hours of the 13th Black Crusade_**

_Thirteen Cadian Regiments held the Elysion Fields as the Great Titans of the Adeptus Mechanicus towered overhead. The thundering steps of the War Machines were only deafened by the thunder of their guns and the enemy's return fire. A Volcano Cannon bellowed and thrummed as its beam of energy boiled parts of the fields to glass, gutting the Traitor Army of Abaddon the Despoiler and removing several Armored Vehicles..._

_The then-Major Telos held the First Line alongside the Commanders of the Cadian Gate. Above them, beside the Titans, the black pylons of the Elysion Fields towered, shimmering emerald. The Major looked to his subordinates and called out "ADVANCE! WE CANNOT LET THESE BASTARDS REACH ANY FARTHER INTO CADIA!" before moving out over the lip of the trench in the desert. He raised his Power Sword and called out "FORWARD! FOR THE EMPEROR!" _

_Following him, hundreds of Cadians called out "FOR THE EMPEROR!" as they jumped over the trenches. Opposing the Regiments were Chaos Cultists of every possible allegiance. They charged with Autoguns and Bayonets toward the Cadians, their weapons barking. The Lasguns returned the heat as the two Armies crashed in the midst of the desert fields... Matias's blade gutted the first bastard he came in contact with, before he raised his Las Pistol and shot two more._

_Following him, then-Captain Amy raised her Hellgun and let loose, whispering to herself a prayer to the Emperor. Next to her, Colin's bolt pistol thundered and his blade cut Heretic flesh. The thunder of a cannon resounded and a dozen Cadian Tanks plunged into the horde of advancing flesh. Matt's blade and pistol cut down Heretic after Heretic. Marauder Bombers flew overhead and their payloads left the bays, striking behind the Chaos Lines with heated Promethium. Matt's blade crossed with a Cultist carrying a sacrificial knife. He spun, kicked and sliced the man's chest, before blasting him with the Las Pistol._

_"Matt, stay close!" His elder sister and the current Colonel of the First Youth, Vivianna Telos spoke. She held more Krieger blood in her than him and it showed. With her curved blade and the strength in her arms, she lopped the heads off three Cultists in one Swoop, before raising her Plasma Pistol and squeezing off a shot that melted through the enemy it hit._

_"I'm here, ma'am." The boy said, raising his Las Pistol and executing another heretic._

_"Good. I've got a feeling we'll be seeing Chaos Marines soon..." Viv spoke calmly, before looking up. Heretic Aircraft swept in, their Guns thundering... The horn of a Titan sounded off overhead and a beam of energy cut down three of the fighters. The duet looked back to see an Imperator-Class Titan moving toward them. The giant walking Cathedral let loose with its Superheavy rotary bolter._

_Explosions on the horizon meant the rounds hit..._

_But the heretical cries of Daemons and the thundering, heavy armored boots of the Arch-Traitor's Marines came. Swinging their axes, the monsters cut through Imperial Guardsmen as they came... And yet that wasn't the worst part. Matt saw something in the upper atmosphere... Something worrying. Turning his head, he froze as he saw a Berserker approaching him, its scarlet eyes peering from behind the helmet... It raised the Chain-Axe to strike him down... The boy gasped, crossing his arms in front of his face and holding the Power Sword at the ready..._

_But the strike never came for him... The sickening sound of sharpened metal teeth eviscerating armor and flesh came to him... He looked up, to see Viv felled by the blade, her body tumbling to the floor, a bloody mess... Eyes wide, the young Guardsman swallowed, staring at the lifeless corpse that once used to be the bravest person he knew alive... He growled, then turned to the Heretic, drawing his Power Sword and slashing at its exposed abdomen. He narrowly dodged a second axe strike, before stabbing into one of the arm joints, forcing it to drop the Ax. He then jumped and aimed for his head, setting the Laser Pistol to full power and crying out "DIE, HERETIC!" with tears welling in his eyes._

_ The shot lacerated the monster's eye and head, bursting through the armor plating in the back. The monstrosity collapsed to the floor with a wet thud... The boy growled, then looked around and fired again, emptying his Pack into another Heretic that approached... He then turned back and barked "MEDICAE! GET THE MEDICAE OVER HERE!" as he cut down more of them..._

_Yet, when the Shadow washed over them and he looked up, to see the husk of a star-shaped craft barreling toward them, all he could do was stare..._

_... The following thing he felt was darkness and a sense of dread... But then a golden light washed over him as he floated aimlessly... And despite his eyes closing, he felt hands grip him._

* * *

"... And that brings us to today, waking up in Gallia and... Our engagement with the East Imperials."

Horrified didn't begin to cover the looks around the table... At first, the Colonel thought they wouldn't believe him, so he was thankful that Colin had brought forth images of Cadia from orbit and other such items of interest. He'd kept those pict-graphs since he and Amy first arrived onto Cadia from the ruined Tanith. Truth was all that Matt had said to them.

The Colonel continued "I haven't come here to parade my military achievements. I haven't come here to threaten your people or you. I've come here out of necessity. Necessity of having a place to engage these Traitors from. So that another world doesn't suffer the fate of my birthplace and I and my Regiment can either live peacefully or fight on from here... I've come to ask for an alliance, food, water and a plot of land to set up a base and maintain as our own... In return, we will send these False Imperials from whence they came... And burn them there. The Emperor of Mankind watched over my Regiment, gave us a new hope of fighting and living... I am willing to take it, as are my men and women. We are here to prove to Him and Him alone one thing... The Planet Broke before the Guard did... And that we, the Spirit of Cadia, still stand strong!"

"So, my Gallian friends..." He eyed the people at the table "Do we have a deal?"

... The signed paper in his hand said as much... It had gone as hoped...


	4. Cry Traitor and let loose the Guard!

**_Fort Amaranthine..._**

A few days had long passed since the meeting between Welkin, Alicia and the Cadians. Something still irked him about kids like that being able to fight, but here they were, in an alliance with them and awaiting for the reinforcements to arrive... After being assigned a squad and making a deal with the Third Regiment's commander to be allowed to bring the Edelweiss into combat, Welkin Gunther, now Lieutenant to the Seventh Platoon and Alicia Melchiott, his second in command and at Sergeant rank, walked out into the marshalling yard to try and find the hangar where their squad had been assigned.

"Any news on where the Cadians went?" Alicia asked Welkin, looking at him. The boy shook his head.

"None so far. Though word has it they're building their own fortification not too far up the road." The man said as they approached the Hangars. "Wonder if they'll join us on our first assignment." He murmured to himself. Before they could arrive to the hangar, however, their questions were promptly answered. Hearing the thundering of boots and the rumbling of engines and treads, the duo watched as their squad dashed out of its hangar, Isara with them. Alicia and Welkin exchanged quick looks, before following the Gallians rushing out to see their allies... And the noise of singing...

_Mine eyes have seen the battlefields of gore and blood_

_And dispelled the wrath of our vilest foes of old!_

_I was trained in the Art of War, man's greatest ancient word_

_And been blessed to be His holy Sword!_

_His truth is calling all!_

Catching up with his sister, Welkin watched the main road as the rumble of engines intensified. From over a hill, the first line of soldiers emerged... A Battalion marching in a narrow formation to keep to the road leading into the fort. And as they marched, their voices resounded crystal clear into a fast marching song. The children of the Cadian 13th bore smiles on their faces as their steps thundered like drums against the road of hardened dirt. A chorus of warrior children, their bayonets glistening in the sunlight, weapons held by the straps on their backs. And leading them, a banner-bearer hauling the standard of the Guard Regiment. Written above, was the numbering:_XIII _and below _Fortiores Una ad Victoriam._ Many of the Gallians present watched with wide eyes... And listened intently.

_Glory, Glory, Holy Terra!_

_Glory, Glory, Holy Terra!_

_Glory, Glory, Holy Terra!_

_His truth is calling all!_

The centerpiece of the banner was the colored imagery depicting a sort of icon. A woman with angel's wings resided in the middle, a sword in hand. Flanking her were two Cadian troopers with rebreathers on and bayonets affixed. It was like a mural of a warrior goddess leading her men into battle and it was awe-inspiring. The grinning children walked into the marshalling yard of the Fort, followed by a second battalion of more heavily-armored soldiers, among them being Amy, a smile on her face as she too sang. Isara stared with surprise as she listened to the lyrics unfold.

_I have listened to Holy Preaches, which by many priests were told_

_By ancients these were written in burnished rows of gold!_

_With His pride and word as guide and rifle in my hand_

_I have sworn to defend this ancient Holy Land!_

_As His truth is Calling all!_

"... What are they singing?" Alicia wondered aloud, mouth agape.

"We can probably ask them after they're done..." Welkin answered. Captain Varrot, a black-haired woman with glasses and her officer's uniform, joined them, eyes wide. In her hand she held a clipboard and watched with as much awe as those under her command while the armored vehicles came next. A dozen very large tanks of varrying loadouts, ranging from what looked like normal cannons to some powered cannon types with radiators rolled in a row of two by six into the yard. Atop, out of the turrets' hatches, female and male commanders alike joined in the singing... Some were older and seemingly more battle-hardened than the First Youth.

_Glory, Glory, Holy Terra!_

_Glory, Glory, Holy Terra!_

_Glory, Glory, Holy Terra!_

_His truth is calling all!_

The Captain hummed, awed, as she let the parade unfold. Following those vehicles were casemate-style... What she could only assume were self-propelled heavy artillery pieces. The crew aboard waved, smiling as they sang and some of the Gallians, the more cheerful ones that was, waved back. Some cheered and whistled, others stared with smiles and others seemed simply dumbfound... The vehicles neatly aligned in front of them and the crew disembarked and formed up into rows.

_He has sounded forth our trumpet, it shall never call retreat!_

_His blade sifts out the traitors from the righteous like grains of wheat!_

_"Let ye deal with My condemners, as with you My Grace shall deal,_

_And called upon you will fight with My own Holy Zeal!"_

_The God-Emperor calls all!_

Many a Gallian took a moment and some doubled-over from the mention of an "emperor". But most were already briefed about the Cadians not being of the same heritage as the East Empire, rather a more... Divine or odd one, Varrot couldn't tell. Yet even more surprises came as a dozen APCs came while the refrain was sung again by the marching army corps, smiles on their faces.

"They're intimidating... And cheerful..." A voice spoke next to Welkin. That of a young man he knew...

"Yup... Take a look at'em though... They're young as can be." Another spoke... Welkin turned his head to see three of his friends beside him, with more farther back... Matthew Siegfried, son of William Siegfried and Grandson of Erich Siegfried sat beside him, with David Tasmen Wolfe and Ragna at his side. Beside them were also Axel and Kai... The four-man team of besties Welkin had got back in Randgriz U.

He turned, with a smile... And heard gasps as the rumbling, thundering engine of their Superheavy appeared... And the song hit a solemn note... He looked to Isara, who seemed to blush upon noticing Matias Telos atop the armored vehicle, smiling as they approached the base camp. He joined the chorus in the final part of the song, a more calm and prideful moment...

_In the beauty of the Palace, His loyal sons were born on holy seas!_

_With a glory in their bosom that transfigures you and me!_

_As they died to make men holy, let us die to bring them safety,_

_While the Emperor is watching on!_

Captain Varrot's, as well as a dozen other Gallian officers' jaws were on the floor. The 11-gun monstrosity joined in the formation of a hundred or so troops and the Colonel and his officer cadre disembarked, jumping out from the top. The Colonel stepped up in front of the formation, while the officers, including the Commissar and his platoon of Schola Progenium cadets, took their spots. He turned to face the Gallians and said "Cadian First Youth, at ease!"

He swiveled his gaze toward the Gallian crowd, to see Welkin, Isara and Alicia in the crowd. He smiled and nodded to them, then watched as, from among them, the Captain and Regiment commander, presumably, appeared. The boy had noticed her rank pins, so it was easy to discern that. She brought her hand up in salute and Matt responded in kind, before extending his hand and saying "You must be the commander of the Third Regiment of Militia. I'm Colonel Telos, Cadian 13th. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Varrot looked for a moment at the armored boy, a slight surprise tangible in her movements and otherwise deadpan facial expression. She gripped the Colonel's hand and said "A pleasure to meet you, Colonel. I'm Captain Eleanor Varrot. Let me be the first to welcome you to Fort Amaranthine. From what I understood, you have your own encampment due south of here?"

"A few kilometers down the road, yes." Telos nodded. "It's under construction, however. And until it is operational, we would like to proceed to where the front is."

Varrot nodded, then turned toward he gathered Gallian crowd and said "All soldiers are to return to their squads! Lieutenants and Sergeants, with me, please! We've got our first assignment for the day and I'd like to brief you." and, calmly, she turned to the Colonel and said "If you'd like, your officers could also join us in the briefing." politely. She watched as the Colonel turned back and gave a hand signal to the squadron. His officers, among which a more old-looking boy, bearing more scars, joined the crew.

"If you would lead the way, Captain." Matt nodded. He gave a welcoming smile to Welkin and Alicia, as well as their newly-added companion. And the group walked off toward the large building in the center of Fort Amaranthine.

Matias walked up beside Welkin and Alicia and said "It's good to see you both. And surprising to see you as part of the Militia."

Welkin nodded "Well, Gallia did want a type of armed neutrality. For that ,they started teaching us from a young age how to do everything from using weapons to maintenance and such."

The Colonel snorted "So, Cadians on another planet to some degree. Very respectable."

"To some degree?" Welkin shrugged "We don't really know your people's behavior relating to war, but going by the fact that you're a Colonel, I'd say yeah."

"Fair point, Lieutenant." The Cadian nodded as they marched forward. Entering into the building that overlooked most of the massive military compound and acted as its administrative center, the group were led down some halls, before entering a large briefing and conference room, just across from the Captain's own office. Taking their seats while captain Varrot went to prepare the briefing, Matias, Colin and Amy exchanged looks, before turning to the still-shocked Gallians across the table from them.

Varrot cleared her throat and placed a map of Gallia onto a tripod stand, before saying "Ladies and gentlemen of the officer Corps of the Cadian 13th and of the Third Regiment. Just after the formation of the Militia squads earlier today, I have received a high-level communique pertaining to the current situation in the war. Several locations have been occupied by the East Imperial military in their latest operations, among which are two main objectives in need of immediate recapture. Number one:The Fortress of Aslone, due east of Randgriz. It served as the most important defense point within the city's defensive perimeter. Its loss could prove a boon for the Imperials should they wish to launch an attack on the capital. Half of our active forces are tasked with retaking Aslone..."

The woman activated a projector and turned off the lights. She began flicking through images of the breached walls, retreating Gallian Regular infantry and the Imperials pouring into Aslone and spoke "It is vital that the fortress be recovered at the Imperials pushed back with an immediate counterattack, as intelligence suggests that their numbers are growing even as we speak."

"Major MkVenner can handle the attack on Aslone. She'll be supported by a company of Artillery and our own Infantry, of course..." Matias suggested, eyeing his Kasrkin major. She grinned, bumped her fists together and said "Aye, I got it. Just gimme and my boys a target and we'll make'em hurt!" most jovially. The Captain partly smiled, partly felt scared at the excitement the heavily-armored girl before her had just shown.

... She needed to remember the Cadians weren't exactly normal children...

"Right..." She nodded, pursing her lips. She pressed a button and the projector showed another image, this time of a city. The woman spoke calmly "This is Vasel. It has been occupied around the same time as Aslone and it serves as the rear gateway to the city and one of the only major crossings over the eponymous river that runs through it. Situation suggests a battalion's worth of Light Armor is stationed in the town currently, with extra reinforcements in the form of three infantry companies. They're digging in, according to scout platoons sent into the city. This is the Third Regiment of Militia's objective."

"The Cadian 13th's Mechanized Infantry Company will gladly follow you into battle, Captain." Colin spoke calmly. "Us and the Colonel will assist the 3rd Militia in their endeavor to retake Vasel, with all armored support we have brought into Fort Amaranthine."

"It is much appreciated, uhm..." The Captain took a moment, looking to the Lieutenants of the various Militia Squads and turning back to Colin...

"Major Commissar Colin Markath, of the First Youth, ma'am. I enforce discipline among the ranks of the Regiment." The boy spoke calmly, staring the woman right in the eyes. She felt a shiver shoot up her spine as she saw how calmly he had spoken to her. He maintained a blank expression, turning toward the Gallian Lieutenants and speaking "Our men and women will not falter, nor retreat. We expect to see much of the same from your people."

"Right..." The Captain pursed her lips "I will provide troop dispositions and intel as the situation develops, until we deploy... All of you are dismissed to your units for now."

The Colonel and Majors stood up first, before turning to walk first out of the place. Welkin and Alicia seemed surprised... They saw Captain Varrot approach and stood at attention, saluting. The woman responded in kind, then said "At ease... Did you know the Cadians are this hyper about everything?"

"We didn't expect them to be so... Upbeat about going to war either, ma'am..." Welkin shook his head. The trio began to walk to the exit. "They've shown some high levels of skill you wouldn't see even in some of our best-trained soldiers."

"Their zeal is also a factor in their combat prowess, as far as I can tell." Varrot hummed.

Alicia looked to them, but didn't say anything. She had seen the skills of the Cadian infantry first hand, when they came to rescue them. Them and their Walkers and armored vehicles. The slaughter they wrought upon the Imperial troops was an incredible sight to behold at first and right now, it scared her to the core. Children that had the training of lifelong veterans... It was scary...

As the group walked out, they heard the rumble of engines and saw them, the Cadian troopers. All were aligned neatly in front of one of their transports as, atop it, Colin stood, blade and pistol stowed for now. He looked around, his gaze sweeping the semi-circle of soldiers before him. With a voice of steel, hard, yet smooth, the Commissar cried out in address to his men "Men and women of the Imperial Guard! The Tide of War has once more found its way into the lands of the Innocent! A False Empire numbering in the hundreds of millions has plunged the world we stand on into a Great War! The enemy is numerous, battle-hardened and well-equipped! They aim to fight for every inch of soil and make us and our allies pay in blood for their victories!"

He started pacing back and forth atop the AFV, proudly espousing the words he had been taught since a young age at the Schola Progenium "But do not underestimate yourselves or those who fight beside you! You, soldiers of the Imperium, are those which stand between the people we cherish and the vile arch-enemies of Mankind! You are the united Hammer of the Emperor! You, those who go in the millions upon the shattering battlefields and who do the Bloody Work of the Imperium in the trenches are a combined force to be feared! You are strong together, you are the line drawn in sand past which no foe will go! YOU ARE THE WALL AGAINST WHICH THE TIDAL WAVE OF THE FALSE IMPERIALS, THE PRETENDERS, THE DAEMONS AND TRAITORS SHALL BREAK UPON!"

He drew his power sword and said "You stand as the testament, the bloody war cry of a wounded, but revived Imperium against the horrors of the universe! YOU, WHO FOUGHT ON YOUR HOMEWORLD EVEN AS IT CRACKED BELOW YOUR FEET! YOU, WHO STOOD PROUDLY AGAINST THE ARMIES OF THE DESPOILER! YOU, MERE GIRLS AND BOYS, SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF CADIA, FRESH OUT OF TRAINING! YOU ARE THE ONES WHO THE ENEMIES OF MANKIND AND OF THE TRUE IMPERIUM WILL LEARN TO FEAR! THOSE THAT OUR ALLIES WILL LEARN TO RESPECT! AND THOSE THAT THE INNOCENT SHALL LOOK TO FOR GUIDANCE IN TIMES OF WAR AND PRAISE IN TIMES OF PEACE! YOU ARE THE UNBREAKABLE WALL OF THE IMPERIUM, THE INFINITE TIDE OF GUNS AND SOULS! YOU ARE THE _IMPERIAL GUARD! _AND NONE WILL FIND YOU WANTING!"

He raised his power sword into the air as the engines of the dozen armored vehicles roared to life and yelled in unison with the men.

**"THE _PLANET_ BROKE BEFORE THE _GUARD_ DID! HOORAH!"**

A thundering battle cry escaped from the mouths of hundreds of warrior children as they raised their rifles into the air, bayonets glistening in the sunlight. A terrifying and emboldening display of raw patriotic strength. The cry resounded throughout the hills and buildings of the Fort as the vehicles' tracks began to spin. The Major shouted proudly "MAN YOUR VEHICLES! PREPARE FOR BATTLE! WE MARCH TO _WAR_!"

... Watching the almost parade-like formations of the kids boarding Armored Fighting Vehicles was an awe-inspiring event. Alicia felt a knot in her throat and spoke "Dear God, I'm worried for our enemies right now..." She laughed awkwardly "I didn't think it was possible to actually feel sorry for the people ransacking your entire country, but here we are... "

"Mhm..." Varrot nodded in agreement, watching the massive armored vehicles of the Imperial Guard begin to roll out. She looked to Welkin and the others and said "Go join your squad and prepare to head out... You can get introduced to them on the way over, but for now, we need all hands on deck." And she saluted "Good luck Lieutenant, Sergeant. I'll see you in Vasel."


	5. Vasel Part 1:The Square

The first vehicles in the convoy were the Baneblade and the Leman Russes. Following them, the Chimeras, Basilisks and Sentinels, laden with troops and ammunition, moved quickly. And finally, behind them, came the Gallians' own convoy of armored vehicles. From aboard a Gallian Halftrack, Alicia, standing on her feet, watched as the Basilisks' raised guns hanged like an executioner's axe as the vehicles moved forward... She could hear the sounds of combat far ahead. Several smoke columns raised to the sky, entering the clouds that gathered above.

The girl sat herself down, gripping tightly her Gallian-M1 Rifle. She turned her gaze toward a redheaded woman with two buns on the sides of her head and a black choker. She wore light armor and, in her hand, was a MAGS-M1 SMG. The Gallian standard-issue SMG. The woman looked over the weapon, then turned to Alicia and spoke. "Hey, kiddo... You're our sergeant, right?"

"Uhm... Yeah." Alicia gave a nod. "I'm Alicia Melchiott."

The woman nodded and smiled "Pleasure." Extending her hand. "I'm Brigitte Stark. Corporal. Though most'a the people I know call me Rosie." and Alicia shook it. Rosie motioned to a tall, bulky man in heavier armor and with his left shoulder and arm covered by a shield, then spoke "That's Largo Potter. He's a Sarge as well, carries the heavy gear here."

Largo gave a nod to Alicia and added "I'm a Lancer."

"So." Rosie peeked out over the top of the vehicle. "What's with the kids in green?" She then sat down "You and the El-Tee know'em? And ain't they a little young to be hauling all that gear? Much more, to have that kind of armament with them?"

"The Cadians? Well... They kinda did rescue me, Wel-" Alicia caught herself before breaking protocol and continued "The Lieutenant and his sister from Bruhl. They're some sort of elite Army from what I understand..." She continued, arranging her rifle onto her shoulder "I'm... Not even sure myself where they're from. Sure, they said something about Cadia being their 'homeworld' but..."

Rosie snorted "What're ya sayin', they some kinda aliens? C'mon, you believe'em?"

Alicia eyed Rosie and pursed her lips... Rosie's smirk soon disappeared "You're kiddin', right?"

The Sergeant shook her head, a tinge of fear in her gaze as she explained "They've got... I don't even know what kind of weapons they are, but they literally _melted _through Imperial armor in Bruhl. That or left very heavy burn marks and cauterized wounds. So they were clearly not bullets, unless their bullets decided that they'd become superheated as they passed through targets."

"Damn..." Rosie's eyes went wide. "Well, remind me not to get on their bad side, m'kay, Sarge?"

"Will do." Alicia nodded. She looked around her transport and noticed several more people. A blonde-haired boy with blue eyes and wearing an Engineer's uniform was looking over his weapons and tools. Beside him, a dark-grey haired girl with pony-tails looked over her own Submachine Gun, a smile on her face. Following that was a black-haired girl with a fringe over her eyes looking over a sniper... She seemed dangerous. And last two in the transport were a boy wearing a strange eyepatch/monocle combo and his ginger friend, who, for a girl, seemed pretty happy to chat with him... Alicia contemplated their names after looking at their faces and took them as she spotted them:Homer Peron, Edy Nelson, Marina Wulfstan, Vyse Inglebard and Aika Thompson. The former two and latter two were friends, while Marina seemed... Distant.

It made sense, honestly. Marina _was _a sniper. You didn't become that way if you weren't even a bit distant...

An incredible explosion roared across the ranks, kicking up dust and causing a panic. Alicia gasped and stood to her feet, as did Rosie and the others... Ahead, they heard a secondary detonation and saw that the Baneblade's main gun was smoking. The Halftrack's radioman said to the back of the crew "Cadians just pinged the Convoy via Radio:Sorry for the shot, False Imperial position... Why'd they add the False?"

"They're apparently from some other Empire around. An Imperium as they call it." The driver responded. "Resuming travel."

And as the vehicles rolled past, they saw a crater on the hilltop across from them. An Imperial Anti-Tank position, destroyed in one shot. Corpses were sprawled across the hillside and the artillery battery itself was nothing but a faint memory... Rosie and Alicia looked toward the Baneblade and the former said "God damn... I'm starting to actually believe these kids are foreign... I think even our best artillerymen would've flinched at taking a shot like that."

"There's two detonations." Largo stated. "Did anyone see a coaxial gun on that turret? Something still anti-tank?"

"A 75 or so, if I recall." Alicia returned, surprised. "Why?"

"Must'a ranged the big gun shot based on it. That, or they _really _wanted that Anti-Tank position dead before it got a shot off at us." Largo snorted. "I'm starting to like'em." and he sat himself down. Rosie and Alicia exchanged glances and the redhead shrugged, before sitting herself down too. Alicia sighed, then followed. The rest of the trip, up to the hillside they were meant to set up on, was quiet.

Upon arriving, the Cadians and Gallians found themselves welcomed by a battered Regular Army battalion. Hill 171, as it was nicknamed, was the hill that overlooked one of the few large roads into Vasel City. It gave a perfect vantage point for the attackers, with a commanding view of the ruins of the city, the bridge and the . And a perfect place to set up artillery. The Gallians disembarked, with Alicia noticing the Guardsmen moving with heavy weapons toward half-circles formed of sandbag walls in which Gallian troops had taken up positions. The weapons were set up so they had a full, clean view of the hillside below.

The self-propelled Basilisk artillery pieces moved into position at the back of the camp and their crews began to set them up, while the Leman Russes lined up next to the Gallian Light Tanks. Cadian support units also moved in. Several Chimera transports appeared, hauling munitions for the artillery pieces. Spotters clad in green uniforms, with binoculars in hand and rifles on their backs, moved toward the sandbag lines and trenches and set up there, Vox transmitters in hand and began to call out targets via Radio.

Alicia noticed Welkin approaching her with Isara. The Lieutenant nodded to her and said "Well, looks like the Cadians asked to be allowed a 30 minuted artillery barrage to soften up whatever we're gonna engage down there..." And he looked over the edge of one of the Sandbag walls, at Imperial positions in the city's outskirts. Sandbags, reinforced houses, MG nests and anti-tank positions.

"... Like I said, I'm starting to feel sorry for the Imperials." Alicia murmured, watching as the Spotters worked their magic. The sound of whirring electrical motors came to them and both turned their heads to witness the artillery pieces' barrels raising into the sky at the same angle. The 132mm Earthshakers awaited for an order as they traversed and aligned...

And then the sky broke...

A dozen shells exited the barrels, milliseconds apart from each-other, arching into the sky to the point Alicia, Welkin and Isara could trace them with their eyes. The Imperial positions in the outskirts soon bore the full brunt of the first Salvo. Detonations rippled, the ground was torn asunder and the houses which were so carefully prepared collapsed upon direct impact. Imp troopers tried to run, but many found themselves falling into the pits of former artillery shells or died to the detonations.

A second salvo came. And nothing was left standing in the outskirt outpost...

Surprisingly, the guns fell silent. But they also left many of the Gallians with a deep fear and some tinnitus... The return fire was quick to come. Whatever buildings lay undamaged returned fire with machine guns and rifles from the far back. The snap of bullets passing by their ears did little to phase the Cadians, who returned fire from their heavy emplacements. The raging gunfire from the Heavy Bolters and Auto-Cannons that were set up permeated the air. Cadian troops moved in and took position in the trenches by the cowering Gallian Regulars and started snapping off Lasgun shots to counter the enemy's own rifle rounds.

Alicia and Welkin had found cover behind a few of the tanks, watching as Cadian forces streamed out of their vehicles and entered combat. Isara followed suite and stuttered "T-They didn't even wait..."

"I don't think they need to...' Alicia said, holding close her rifle. They watched as tracer fire streamed overhead, only to be returned in the form of high-caliber shells and laser rounds. The trio watched as Colonel Telos and the two majors currently present with him marched out from the vehicles, smiling. Matias had his hands behind his back and his weapons stowed. They saw him flinch as a sniper shot hit his carapace armor, but the bullet shattered to pieces without even denting the armor. However, part of it did leave a nice cut on the Colonel's cheek.

The man smiled "Ah, the symphony of war. It has certainly been a while since we've heard it."

"A day or two at most, Colonel." Colin corrected, almost indifferently, whilst staring at their troops returning fire, calling in artillery and running through basically every bit of training. The Heavy Weapons support teams were doing the Emperor's work too, their Heavy Bolters and Autocannons taking chunks from the Imperials' cover. The rocket-propelled explosive rounds from the Heavy Bolters did a fine job in really scarring any Imperial that survived the barrage of suppressive fire now being unleashed onto their little makeshift defense. Colin walked toward the edge of one of the trenches, rounds striking past him...

He was an imposing figure to the Gallians. A boy, probably 17, clad in an officer cadre uniform, standing there without a weapon in his hand, arms behind his back and simply glaring at the enemy. The Cadians were used to the Major's steely demeanor and appropriate lack of emotions. The man noticed an enemy Tank Platoon advancing through the rubble of the original bombardment and motioned to one of the Voxcasters. She handed him the com line and he spoke "Enemy Armor Formation approaching from former target coordinates of artillery. Redirect your fire there."

And he drew his bolt pistol, checking the weapon and, after giving it an approving nod, drawing his Power Sword. He started calling out to the Gun Emplacements, giving them targets to focus on. Cadian Marksmen wielding Long-Las Rifles took the heads off of enemy officers while the Autocannons and Bolters simply let loose a hailstorm of fire.

The Colonel snorted "Of course, he'd be ordering them around." and he turned about, to Welkin, Alicia and Isara, a relaxed smile on his face, despite bleeding from the cut on his left cheek. "Ah, Lieutenant, Sergeant! A pleasure to see you again! And you as well, miss. I believe we've yet to be properly introduced."

"HOW THE HELL CAN YOU HAVE A NORMAL START TO A CONVERSATION IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THIS, KID?!" One of the Squad 7 soldiers, which Alicia recognized as Rosie, cried out, leaning against the back hull of one of the Leman Russes while the quagmire of gunfire, different commands and Cadians being calm and just doing their job. The other three gave nods of agreement.

"You must be a member of Squad 7! I'm Colonel Telos, 13th Cadian. And to answer your question, this is basically a normal day for us in the Guard!" The boy said calmly, before walking toward Isara, Alicia and Welkin, smile still standing "Fact is, this type of imbroglio is our normal Modus Operandi! Hell, my people missed having to deal with this kind of fighting. Some were even getting antsy."

"Good God in heaven, was Alicia not kidding about you guys being from another planet?!" Rosie balked, while Isara nearly tripped, falling to the floor. "LOOK AT THIS, COLONEL! WE'RE GETTING POUNDED BY ENEMY FIRE!"

"Correction:We're hammering away at them and they're returning fire." The Colonel returned as he leaned to help Isara up on her feet. He smiled, patted the dust off of her shoal and nodded, before turning to Rosie and continuing "We haven't lost a man yet. If you want to stay behind cover, be our guests! I've just had a talk with Captain Varrot and we're going to press this advantage as fast as possible."

"Colonel, with all due respect, if we intend to push, we're gonna need a lot more support! The Imperials are clearly quite dug in!" Alicia returned, holding her rifle. Matt's response was a light chuckle, before he turned toward the Basilisks and motioned to them. Then to the tanks they hid behind. Then to the Baneblade... Alicia pursed her lips and said "I retract my statement."

"Jesus Christ..." Rosie muttered. "Colonel, you are one crazy SOB!"

"Thank you, miss." Matt quipped with a foolhardy grin, then turned to Isara, Welkin and Alicia "We'll clear out their forward emplacements in no time and we require a squad to move around with us when we'll go to secure the Plaza that'll serve as our Forward Base. If your squad has problems with that, we can probably take another one, but right now, I'd really like to have a familiar pair of commanders from Gallia with me!"

Welkin looked to Rosie, who sighed and rolled her eyes before giving him a nod, yelling to Matias with a grin "We'll do it! Just promise not to let us get shot!"

"Stay behind the tanks. You'll be fine." Matt returned snarkly. "So, Lieutenant?"

"We're with you." Welkin gave a nod. "But like Rosie said, make sure you can cover my squad! I'd hate to lose people on the first Operation."

He nodded to the Lieutenant proudly "We can make sure of it. See you when the Armor starts rolling, Lieutenant! Sergeant! Corporals!" then turned to Isara and smiled. She felt her heart skip a bit, while the Colonel swiveled about and started calling out to the Commissar. Colin, in the meanwhile ,seemed to be quote-unquote 'enjoying' himself-His deadpan expression still there, mind you-whilst he fired his bolt pistol.

Rosie shook her head, grinning "Y'know? I'm starting to sense a connection with'em!"

Alicia chuckled... Then looked away, a bit scared. She noticed a Squad 7 Uniform in the trenches and saw the black hair of Marina. Her rifle was among the few Gallian weapons currently engaging the enemy to assist the Cadians. Her eyes were focused down the scope as she saw a Cadian approach, hauling a pack of stripper clips. He handed Marina three stripper clips of three rounds each for her sniper, then went on with the ammo carrying...

"It seems that the Cadians are helping out with more than suppressing fire." Isara said, looking at the Guardsman hauling ammunition.

Welkin nodded "Right... Rosie, Alicia, go gather the squad up, please. Isara, c'mon. Let's get to the tank."

The redhead hummed and said "Lead the way, sarge." before motioning with her SMG toward the other Militia troopers hiding behind the tanks and armored vehicles in the motorpool. The Cadian tankers quickly powered their vehicles and moved forward... The one with the cannon that had radiators pulled up beside the defensive position at the hill, traversing its turret and depressing the gun...

A whir of energy passed through the lines, muffled by the constant exchange of fire... The tip of the weapon's barrel heated, electricity arching off the radiators... And it shot with a sharp hiss, heat escaping the muzzle as a boulder of azure fire hurtled toward an enemy position and struck. The concrete, brick and mortar from which the building it hit was made of immediately boiled and vaporized, as did every man inside. The temperature in the center of the Plasma Ball reached almost 10,000 Degrees Celsius... But the release of energy in the explosion was far hotter.

The building collapsed, but no one inside was alive to witness it. They and whoever was below had been burned to a crisp by the heat wave of the Plasma tank's shot. Gallians stopped their movement, even as the artillery barrage began anew, to regard the massive tank's steaming muzzle. Largo watched ground turn to glass and cool after the shot and said to fellow Lancers and other Gallian troopers present "Yeah... We definitely don't want to get on their bad side..."

"What the Hell was that?!" Alicia went bug-eyed, staring at the plasma blast as it dissipated...

Isara's eyes glistened, with both fear and excitement... She murmured "That was a round of pure, contained energy..."

"... I am genuinely getting more scared of them by the minute..." Alicia responded. The Gallians then went and took to boarding their vehicles. Three Cadian Chimeras, with full squads, followed in the Vanquisher and Punisher, which in turn flanked and followed in the Baneblade. Alicia and the others were seated aboard a fourth Chimera, watching as crew-members prepared for battle, their turrets rotating to meet the oncoming threat.

The mechanical screeching of armored servos came from their left. Advancing in a wedge formation, the Sentinels charged in... One of them had a rather precariously large flamethrower attached to its side mount instead of the Lascannon. The vehicles barreled through makeshift barricades, their cannons thundering as they moved. The Cadians fired from aboard the Chimeras, manning back-mounted laser weapons and the turrets.

Alicia braced with the rest of the squad in the Chimera as gunfire pinged the hull of the vehicle. They heard the thunder of the Edelweiss' cannon and a muffled explosion...

"God, I hope they just took out an enemy tank..." One of the others in the squad muttered to herself. A dark-skinned girl with black hair caught in a bun and a fellow scout. The group was lit red by the faint lights inside the Chimera. Alicia looked forward toward the Voxcast operator on the right of the driver. He gazed back to the platoon, a young boy with pale blue eyes and platinum hair...

"PREPARE TO DEPLOY!" He yelled back. "WE ARE APPROACHING THE SQUARE!"

The Gallians looked to each-other and soon readied weapons. Alicia felt a chill shoot up her spine. She racked the bolt of her rifle just as they felt the vehicle stop and looked toward the others. Largo nodded, Rosie was locked and loaded, Marina zeroed her sniper and the others aboard soon came to the same conclusion... The rear hatch opened and the pinging became actual gunfire. Rosie grinned, then called out "After me, Kiddos!" as she jumped out and took a right. A pair of scouts, the tan girl and another with blonde hair and glasses, took positions on the left and opened fire.

Alicia and the others piled out into line of sight of the battle. Lasguns snapped and cracked, autocannons chattered and boots thundered against the pavement as Cadian troopers piled out. A cannon boomed over Alicia's head and a building collapsed across from them, on the other side of the square. The girl took cover beside a pair of Cadians with a heavy weapon:A bolter, of all things, then cried "WHAT THE HELL DID WE HIT?!"

"An entrenched enemy, Sarge!" The loader called out, then turned to the gunner and pointed "Vico! I'm seeing an MG nest in that building to our close left!"

"Got'em!" The gunner responded, staring through the emerald sight of the weapon and squeezing off a burst that knocked the dust and hell out of that building. Alicia stood up and shouldered her rifle. She sent three bullets down range into the chest of an East Imperial that was trying to get to cover in front of them, or throw a grenade. She looked to her right to see that a Cadian squad disembarked and took positions beside the Chimera transport as it too fired its Las-Cannon. The Sentinel walkers danced around enemy gunfire...

And the one with the Flamer let loose its weapon. The men it hit began to melt as if they were metal in a forge, their bodies merging with the armor in a gory show of the Cadians' power. Rosie was flanking the enemy's position and firing her SMG, alongside a few other Shock Troopers like her, when she saw the use of the Flamer. She swallowed empty, then knelt and changed her magazine.

"God damn, can these kids get any scarier..." She muttered to herself, before peeking over and watching the burning men... She gagged, then shook her head, eyes wide "I'm not asking anymore..."

From aboard the Edelweiss, Welkin witnessed the developing slaughter. Where the East Empire's forces formed a ragged defense, the Cadians were thorough in putting together a hard offense. The Cadian squads advancing across the side, into the alleyways to enter buildings, the Lasgun fire from inside said buildings and the Vanquisher tank beside them firing a shell big enough to turn one of the houses on the right, that couldn't be breached, into rubble, told him as much. He eyed an Imperial Light Tank that attempted to advance on them and fired his own cannon, punching clean through front armor...

Then he realized...

"Where's the Colonel's tank?" He asked over radio, firing again...

"Sorry we're late, Lieutenant. Had to take a route that was full of enemy Light Tanks." Matt's voice came through, jovial...

And Isara gasped as she saw it breach through from behind the Imperial defenses... its massive hull-mounted mortar roared and the supersized shell exploded a barricade in the center of the square... Following it, the Punisher appeared, its turret traversing to face the enemy platoon on their left, or in this case, the Baneblade's right... Its cannon rippled with anger and the pavement, building and Imperial troopers that were hit by the burst were littered with holes, or in the lattermost's case, outright turned to mist...

The Cadians cheered at the sight. Hell, even most Gallians were elated... As the Imperial troops inside the square attempted to recover and retreat, they were gunned down by the Guardsmen with impunity. Their laser weapons mauled and burned the Imperials that attempted to fall back... One snapped off a shot as he tried to run and the round hit one of the Guardsmen that were advancing in the square straight in the goggles, which broke as it punched through... The Guardsman dropped to the floor, bleeding from where his eye used to be... A Lucky shot...

... And Alicia saw it... She thoughtlessly charged into the line of fire, toward the Guardsman, dumping rounds from her Gallian M1, before trying to drag the armored kid back behind cover. A pair of Cadians noticed the event that just unfolded before them and looked to Alicia... They joined her, one holding position over the two whilst firing his Lasgun and the other assisting the girl as she dragged the wounded Guardsman back.

Alicia watched as the Guardsman that covered them followed... The two set the wounded one down and Alicia took off his... _Her_ helmet... And staggered, her eyes wide. Blood spattered across the face of the young, lilac-eyed girl, a seemingly younger girl. Her eye was missing and the back of her head had been burst open, blood seeping down onto the pavement...

"Motherf..." Growled one of the Cadians, laying the girl onto her back. He took his helmet off, revealing a boy around her age... Probably a close friend of hers. He gritted his teeth, shouldering his Lasgun and spoke"Ryne... Bastards..." Before crying out in an anger punctuated by the fact he shouldered his Lasguns They killed her! THE BASTARDS GOT THE LIEUTENANT!"

Suddenly... A squad's fire focused onto the retreating Imperials. And Alicia looked with surprise at how quickly the Cadians came to their senses and began an offensive maneuver, supported by a Chimera lascannon's continuous, hellish burst of fire. They didn't even scream anything, just focusing fire on a mass of retreating, steel-armored bastards. A handheld flamer belched hot Promethium... And Alicia witnessed it all.

The Cadian Squad marched forward, their Lasguns cracking the air with the anger of a dozen young men and women that had just seemingly lost a close friend... Alicia looked into the helmet, to see the blood splattered and she tossed it aside, staggering and dragging herself back. She felt a hand grip her and drag her back into cover and she looked up, to see the tanned girl, Freesia, with a grim look on her face, put her behind a block of stone and duck.

Freesia swallowed, looking at the corpse of the Cadian girl, a beautiful youth torn away by war, then turned to Alicia and said "I'm so sorry, sarge... I... I saw the enemy sniper, but I didn't have time to..."

"It's okay... It's..." Alicia nodded weakly, the grip on her rifle tightening... She looked over to see Rosie take cover beside the kid's body and drag her into cover as well, before shaking her head. Largo joined her with two lancers, shouldering his weapon and firing at an Imperial tank that attempted to outflank the Cadians' own... The girls then looked to the screams of dying East Imps, to see the Squad pinning them to the floor and straight-up executing them... Either via shot to the head or a bayonet to the back, without even hesitating.

"Dear God..." Rosie averted her gaze, going pale. She knew this was gonna be war, but they could've just... Shot them from a distance, or let them retreat. Not _that. _She closed her eyes and shook her head, waiting for the gunfire to quiet down. One more roar from the mouth of the Punisher Cannon signaled the end of the engagement... The square went dead quiet, as quiet as the corpses littering it...

No East Imperial soldier of the Ninth Mechanized Company managed to retreat...

All were now either dead or dying on the paved floor of the square...


	6. Vasel Part 2:Warrior's Woes

The Cadians watched the Bridge Boulevard with intent. The last few hours of combat were meant to clear out most of the False Imperials from the West Bank of the river. They were now left with only one stronghold, right next to the western bridgehead and after that was dealt with, the east Bridgehead would be secured. The Gallians watched with awe as the Artillery Pieces that had been on the hill, supporting their advance into Vasel no less than an hour ago, were brought forth under the escort of a platoon of Cadian troopers, only to be settled in the square they captured. The bridge was a tall, monolithic structure formed of two castle-like bridgeheads and the retracting platform itself... It wasn't far from them, but a heavy fog had started setting

Cadian Troops, meanwhile, had begun a systematic house-to-house cleanup business, wherein they'd burst through the door of a house either occupied by a False Imp sniper or spotter, or maybe a squad of them. The following would be a ten-second skirmish wherein the Cadians would fire 'till the barrels of their Lasguns glowed a hot red. No False ones would survive that tidal wave of fire whenever it happened...

One such troop was Scout Platoon 6. Elaine's boys and girls, with her in the lead, marched through the alleyways between the many houses around. Their target was a small house not too far nearby, that apparently belonged to one of the maintenance workers for the bridge. Their mission was to secure the house and see if the man had left any plans for the drawbridge.

"Maintain staggered column." Elaine said briskly, eyes locked on the broken windows overhead. Their boots crackled against the broken glass from explosions and detonations that shattered them. Artillery had been thorough in blasting whatever cover they could apart, but not this deep within the city. Elaine lead her squad and took cover behind a wall, peeking over to her left as they prepared to move through an L-shaped intersection. The road was clear, save for some rubble and dust. She waved her team forward and continued her quick advance, before taking a right...

The team was approaching the riverbank, where the house was. They could hear and see Imperial troops resting by sandbags or in the windows of the Town Hall. They took a right, to avoid falling into the enemy's line of sight, then saw it... A small, two-story building with a flat roof. The woman took position by the windowless back door and her team followed...

"Try the door..." Elaine said, scanning the other two alleys in front of her. One of the guardsmen pushed the door open, only to wake up with a rifle pointed at his face. He responded by raising his own, before the Lieutenant noticed the nutmeg wood stock and receiver and whispered "Lower it!" in whisper. "It's a Gallian rifle!" to the soldier. He nodded, slinging his weapon onto his back as the Lieutenant pushed the man's rifle down... She took a pause, to notice he had dark-blue hair and eyes and the look of a ragged engineer. His collar had a pattern of lines and hexagons etched onto the edges...

He hummed, surprised "You're not Imperials?"

"Not the East kind, no, but we're allies to Gallia." Elaine stated calmly. The man gave them a once-over, a glint of surprise in his eyes as he saw children, then he looked around and said "C'mon in. This is still part of the Imperial Front Line after all." quickly urging the team inside. The Cadian infantrymen moved in, weapons low and the door shut behind them. The Lieutenant looked to the working man and took her helmet off.

"You Jonah? One of the bridge maintenance members?" Elaine asked.

"Maintenance Chief, yeah." Jonah gave a nod, placing his rifle on the wall... A door opened to their left and one of the Cadians raised his rifle, but Elaine was quick to push it down... A little girl that had eye and hair color matching her father's appeared from behind the door, trembling and afraid... Jonah pursed his lips and said with worry "Mika, please, go tend to your mother..."

Elaine seemed to ignore the man's request toward his daughter, undoing the button of a pouch of hers and pulling out a square pack of tin foil with a black top and golden writing. She extended the foodstuff, a chocolate, to the girl slowly... The girl seemed to take cover behind the door, hiding herself further from view. A Cadian nudged his comrade's elbow, smiling, and looked on... Elaine opened the top of the candy bar, ripped a piece for herself and put it in her mouth, chewing and letting out a satisfied "Mmm..." before speaking "It's good..."

The girl, clad in a silk dress and with a scarf with the same pattern and coloring on it as her father's collar, appeared, eyes wide... She slowly approached the Lieutenant and took the candy... She couldn't have been any older than 4. Slowly, the girl bit into the chocolate, leaving patches of it on her lil' face... And as she chewed, her face, which was grim and sad before ,lit up partially... Elaine smiled too, then stood up...

"Are you here to take Papa away? Or harm him?" The girl asked, her eyes full of a child's fear... And Elaine staggered, her smile vanishing.

She shook her head "Emperor above, no... We're friends to the people of Gallia. We aren't here to hurt anyone." and turned to Jonah. He pursed his lips, then sighed. The girl smiled again, happy to hear it seemed, but said no more... Meanwhile, the Lieutenant turned toward him and asked "The False Imperials tried to take you?" that or they said that the next time they came around, they would.

"They said they'd come today, soon... And I am not able to run. My wife... She's supposed to be giving birth any moment now." The man responded. "Why are you here?"

Elaine took a moment, then looked to one of his troopers and said "Medicae Lyana, go check on the woman."

"Ma'am." Nodded the soldier carrying a medical pack, before looking to the girl and saying "Say, lil' one. How about you lead me over to your mama... Maybe I can make her better."

The girl turned to her father, a look of fright... But the nod from the man eased her in. She took the medicae's hand with a smile and pulled her along into the room. The Lieutenant sighed, then said "We're here to retrieve plans of the drawbridge itself... Possible weaknesses and such in case we can't retake it and we have to go with the... Less desirable approach."

... "No." The man shook his head "If you're intending to blow up the work of hundreds of people, including some of my ancestors, used as Slave Labor by the Empire to build this damn thing, you're in the wrong."

"'Slave Labor'?" The Lieutenant turned toward him. "What did your ancestors do?"

Jonah took a moment, surprised, then asked "You... Do know what we, Darcsen, are, right?"

"Not even the faintest idea as to why you're different to any normal human, save for your hair and eye color and..." Elaine spoke, then pointed at the patterned clothing they wore "That. But... I can't imagine it's anything good for them if they used you as Slave Labor."

"An old legend that a local religion was based off of depicts my people as those thirsting for power, who built an empire by oppressing the other peoples of Europa." Jonah explained, taking hold of his rifle "And those whom apparently opposed our 'expansion', the Valkyria, being hailed as Saviors and Goddesses for stopping what became known as the Darcsen Calamity before it became any worse."

"So false idols saying you've caused a Calamity and that they are the saviors..." Hummed Elaine. The calmness with which she stated the following sentence left the Bridge Engineer speechless for a good few minutes... Calmly, the woman uttered "Heresy, as was expected. This 'religion', this 'cult' and its followers are, at least, lying through their teeth about your people and at most, over-exaggerating the events of the past. And your people suffer for it today. To what degree?"

Jonah took a moment to ponder the speech of the girl before him... He sighed "We can't work any jobs outside engineering or mining and we've been stripped of the right to have _family names._"

It was Elaine's turn to be speechless. What kind of vile... Sighing and shaking her head, the woman looked to her fellow guardsmen, most of which seemed as surprised as her. Turning her gaze to the man, despite being younger than him, she spoke with all the tenor and believability of an adult "If this... Unfounded discrimination is spread out everywhere, all thanks to a sacrilegious and false Belief that directly contradicts His Holy Word, neither I nor the other True Imperials will take it at face value. And nor will we let the Darcsen suffer for it... You are human. Perhaps your only mutation is the hair and eyes, but other than that, there's no perceivable change to you that leads us to believe you are some kind of monsters, vying to harm those of the same species as you."

She put her helmet on and shouldered her rifle, much to the Darcsen man's surprise, and stated plainly "Maintenance Chief Jonah, I and my soldiers hereby vow we will stay with you and your family until you and they can safely be moved to our lines. If the False Imperials show at your door, they will be met with the God-Emperor's Hammer blasting them apart with the red fury of our Lasguns." and she turned to the soldier carrying a pack of communication equipment, before ordering "Call the Colonel. Tell him of our situation. Perhaps he can send a second squad to assist. I fear we may be facing a more substantial False Imperial unit than "

"Yes, ma'am!" The Voxcaster spoke, taking a knee and prepping the equipment... And after a few minutes, she spoke "Allied reinforcement of two Chimeras and the Punisher will attempt a push toward us as soon as possible!"

Jonah stared at the teenager with a weapon before him, then uttered a simple, surprised "Thank you..." and received a nod in response. The Lieutenant moved to find suitable locations for her men to set up in as the Voxcaster spoke into the mouthpiece, calling their Superior, probably. The man watched as a squad of troopers in the emerald-green armor and fatigues of Cadia prepared for what could very well be a battle...

He went to the room where his wife and daughter lay. The Medic of the team, a young girl, tended to the woman, keeping her eyes open while she worked around her to set up a welcoming(and defensible) safe spot for the child and his mother to hide in. Beside them, his daughter played in front of a barricaded window with a stuffed doll. The Medic turned her lilac eyes and said "Hello, sir." with a smile... She was younger than the Lieutenant, clearly.

"Hello." He nodded, walking to and taking a knee beside his wife.

"She'll be fine... I've administered a painkiller that should dull much of the pain of labor." The doctor nodded. And the man nodded back, noticing her rifle was leaned against the barricade just behind her daughter. He hummed, then looked toward the woman. Chin-length hair and calm eyes, as well as her usual smile. He took her hand and smiled back.

The Lieutenant stepped into the room and said "Looks like they'll becoming earlier than we thought. Auspex Scan shows approaching enemies due west. Plus 20." readying her Las Rifle. "Medicae, get the lady and her daughter somewhere safe and prepare yourself."

"The Emperor Protects, ma'am." The Medicae said, standing up and grabbing her rifle, before picking up the little girl and placing her next to her mother. She then turned to and helped the woman into the safe spot behind the bed, telling her "Keep yourself and your daughter hidden. Damned I be if I'll let any False Imperials come through those windows."

The woman nodded, bringing her daughter close. The soldier overturned the bed and took cover behind it, aiming at the window and readying her weapon for the kill. At the front of the house, Jonah and the others had overturned furniture, preparing a killbox around the door... And as the first boots came a-treading and the first knock was heard, the soldiers and Darcsen readied their weapons... Elaine looked to the gunner of her squad, who had his Stubber ready... And heard the voice of a False one speak aloud "Alright, Dark-Hair! We're here! Hope ya said yer goodbyes! Open the door and let's go!"

It was a female commander...

Elaine snorted, then turned her gaze to Jonah. A grin was plastered across the Cadian's face as she showed him to be quiet, shouldering her Lasgun and supporting it against the overturned table she took cover behind. The Stubber's bolt silently locked, feeding another round into the long-barreled weapon's chamber. The bipod was set and the iron sights were aligned...

Another knock. And an angry voice "I ask again, you Dark-Hair bastard! C'mon out unless you want us to kick the door in!"

The Cadian youngster Lieutenant shook her head toward Jonah, then eyed down the scope of her weapon. As the third knock came, the female commander wanted to speak. But instead all they heard was a grunt. The door flung open and a stunned soldier in feudal armor stood in the doorway, eyes wide... Elaine smirked and said "Greetings, False Imperial... Go to hell."

The hall erupted into hail-fire. Lasgun rounds scorched and singed the wall and the street as the squad opened up onto the Imperial infantry. The heavy gunner's Stubber rippled and bullets punched through the thin plaster wall, killing a few Imp troops before they could take cover. The Imperial Commander that was to follow the breaching trooper dropped onto her stomach and fired her SMG into the room, swearing all the while.

Elaine fired. The crackling red beam punched through the head of the first Easterner that came into view and left a neat and tidy cauterized hole whilst the corpse fell to the floor. Autogun fire came from the enemy unit as they reorganized themselves and formed a decent firing line. A lasgun crackled and another imp fell, a round to the chest. Jonah's rifle barked twice and another died.

The Medicae, meanwhile, focused on two things at once. Firing her lasgun and tending to the woman, that was. Within a moment, she stood up after the windows shattered and fired. The woman she tended to held her daughter close, eyes nearly-shut as she watched the lasgun-toting teenager fight for all three of their lives. She could hear gunfire coming from the upper floor as the rest of the squad engaged to thin out the Imps' numbers...

The girl stopped firing as she saw a grenade fly inside, without the pin. It was a stick grenade... She tried to kick it out, but the damn thing hit the wall and landed not too far from the bed itself... Not a lot of cover from an explosion... The Medicae gritted her teeth, tossed her Lasgun aside and cried "TAKE COVER!" To the woman and girl, before pouncing onto the grenade and curling up around it... If anything, her Flak Armor would take the brunt of the blast...

The pregnant woman gasped, then hid, closing her eyes and standing over their living daughter as the grenade exploded... The only thing she saw from the Medicae was a burned hand, armor and clothing torn, appear from behind the bed. Her lip trembled... She barely knew that girl and, hell, she was a teenager... But a soldier. And a random person that she'd never met before today... Yet there she was. Dead, because she was trying to protect the woman and her children, one of which was not born.

A Guardsman appeared into the room, eyes wide... He raised his Lasgun toward the window and fired six shots. Two corpses collapsed, but the Guardsman managed to move, taking to the side of the woman and ask "Are you well?" and receiving a nod from the scarred woman, who still stared with disbelief. The Guardsman stood up and went to check on the Medic. He pursed his lips, then shook his head and called out "Ma'am! Trooper Medicae Lyana's dead!"

The Lieutenant didn't have time to mourn. She barked "Hold the line in her stead! Keep the Chief Engineer's wife and child safe!"

The response was the crackling of a las rifle and the metallic thud of an armored corpse falling to the floor in the other room. The Cadian appeared in the doorway and gave a nod, before turning and shouldering his weapon. Exchanges of fire continued for what felt like hours as more and more East Imperial troops arrived to reinforce the damned squad.

"MOVE, YOU INSUFFERABLE BASTARDS!" The commander of the squad ordered "WE'VE GOTTA GET THAT DARK-HAIR AND HIS FRI-"

The las-round that melted the bridge of her nose shut her up. And it wasn't from inside the house...

The Voxcaster listened into her earphone, then pumped her fist up and cheered "YES! Lieutenant! We've got reinforcements!"

"Get me a stretcher." The Lieutenant called out, watching as a squad of heavily-armored troopers swept into the alleyway, Lasguns barking. One of them had an anti-tank launcher on his back and was seemingly ready to go for the kill of an AFV, but for now, rested the launcher on his back, holding onto his Las-Carbine. Jonah watched as the Mech. Infantry streamed into the house... Followed by a boy clad in what looked like a turtle's carapace as far as armor went, as well as a cape and rank pins denoting a high rank in his unit. He had a scar on one of his cheeks and a smile on his face.

"Lieutenant... Sorry we're late." The soldier said.

"... No problem, sir..." She said, watching as one of the Guardsmen put a sheet over Lyana's corpse. She felt a heavy, armored hand land on her shoulder and turned to see the Colonel, a sympathetic look in his eyes. And the two watched as the woman was carried out on a stretcher, with her younger daughter, toward a Chimera. The Colonel looked to the Lieutenant again and spoke "You did well, Elaine... You did damn well." receiving a sigh and nod from her.

Turning on his heels toward Jonah, the Colonel marched toward the man and said "Greetings, Chief Jonah. I'm Colonel Telos, of the First Youth. Forgive the brash rescue, but we've been busy trying to liberate Vasel."

"Y-You're the Colonel?" The man stuttered... "Not to sound disrespectful or... Not thankful, but... How the hell are you and your regiment so bloody young?"

The kid gave a chilling, very friendly smirk "It's just our home's way, Chief... C'mon. We've much to talk about."


	7. Vasel Part 3:The West Bank

The drawling thunder of the Cadian artillery was one of the many background noises of combat, a horrifying addition to the already massive onslaught in the rest of the city. The Gallians watched as the Cadian Tanks prepared their advance down the main boulevard, with the Colonel's own Superheavy tank leading the assault. The rest of the Regiment would come in behind them, but Squad 7 had been elected to go around, through the hedges. Still, most could only stare with awe at the supersized Cadian vehicles. The Baneblade was a terrifying reminder of the First Europan War's multi-sponson tank strategy. But it was even more heavily armored and armed.

Welkin stared at the Cadian AFVs with anticipation and an ever-building sense of dread. Beside him, Alicia was seated, rifle in hand, with Isara checking the Edelweiss's internals. Suddenly, the artillery intensified. Either they loaded faster, or brought in more guns, but from a steady, slow drumbeat, it turned into a hammering sound. From their higher ground, the group could see the other side of Vasel being hammered, buildings destroyed, positions eliminated...

"God..." One of the Shock Troopers next to Rosie and Edy, a Darcsen, murmured, her eyes wide. She turned toward a boy with short hair and glasses and said "I think we can honestly be glad they're on our side."

"Yup." The guy nodded, seemingly shaky...

Alicia looked to Welkin too, then asked "You okay?" upon noticing the frown on his face.

"Just... Still a bit in shock." Welkin returned, frown withstanding "They're more brutal than the Diebal mountain lions, but... They're kids." and he watched as a battalion of them marched, bayonets affixed, next to the vehicles, to prepare for the assault. Isara poked her head out too, looking at the battle group prepared for war. They donned their gas masks and goggles for the assault, rifles' bayonets glimmering in the faint light.

"Same..." Alicia nodded, tugging at her collar. She noticed Matias stand up out of his hatch, to look around. He stretched and wanted to leave his vehicle to go address his officer corps. And the Scout Sergeant felt a chill creep up her spine. Gazing around at the buildings, mostly focused on the rooftops. They'd cleared out several of the surrounding buildings and acquired the important assets from nearby, thinning out the Imperial defenses to only those centered around the Library and Town Hall... Yet...

She gripped her rifle tighter, staring at either the roofs or Adrian. Her heart began to beat harder as she said "Something's wrong..." whilst still scanning the area. Her mouth felt dry, her head thumped... And the more she looked at the walking Colonel, the worse she felt. It wasn't sickness toward him or his soldiers, but... It felt like he was in... Danger... With the corner of her right eye, she spotted a faint flash of light from a window about half a kilometer away...

... A gunshot rang out.

The Cadians turned to their Colonel, readying weapons and the Gallians mobilized themselves into cover. That was close... Too close. Welkin had chosen not to dive back into the tank like Isara, instead looking to his left, to where the Gunshot had come from. He saw the black-haired Corporal Marina Wulfstan staring down the scope of her rifle. The barrel was smoking as it had just been fired... And her scope was locked onto that same building from which Alicia saw the flash, she noticed.

The sniper pulled back the bolt, letting the empty casing drop to the floor, before slamming the bolt back in, with a fresh round fed right into the barrel from the two-round magazine. She slung the weapon onto her back by the strap and turned to the Colonel, who'd just about drawn his Power Sword and Las Pistol, eyes locked to where the shot went...

"Enemy Sniper. 500 meters away. He's down now." The girl reported to the Colonel.

"... I take it he was aiming for me?" The Colonel smirked, stowing his half-drawn weapons. The woman gave a nod... And the Colonel's smile widened "Well, thank you, Corporal. What's your name?"

"Marina Wulfstan, sir." She nodded calmly, before stepping back toward her squad. The Colonel crossed his arms and shook his head, grin withstanding. The Corporal joined her squadmates next to the Edelweiss, leaning herself back against one of the houses in the square. She was next to the squad, but elected not to interact with anyone for now. She had to focus.

Some of the Cadians gave her curt, respectful nods as thanks. Some smiled behind their masks. The Colonel also donned his helmet now, clipping it and the Vox systems into place on his armor, before climbing back into the Baneblade. He flicked on comms and said "To all Gallian and Cadian units within sector 3-Alpha of Vasel. We are about to begin operations within the city itself as we prepare to retake the West Bank from the False Imperials. See you on the other side. The Emperor Protects."

"The Emperor Protects." Chorused the Cadian children.

"See you on the other side, Lieutenant." The Colonel spoke directly to Welkin, before the engines of the Baneblade powered...

Welkin looked to everyone and said "Alright, Squad 7! Let's move!" as the engine of the Edelweiss rumbled to life. As the vehicles and squad advanced, Welkin looked over an area map whilst they went via a side-road. Marina was one of the last behind the tank... Their objective was to advance down a slope, toward the edge of the river, then attack from that flank. On the map, there was also a second square where the library was, linked to the main town square by a multitude of close-quarter Alleys.

Whilst the Cadians and the rest of the Regiment would come down the main Bridge Boulevard, they would flank through from the Riverbank and that place and... Mhm. Good plan... He tapped his com and said "Largo, take a small detachment and form a defense in the Library Square. I'll take the rest of the squad and punch through from the Riverbank while you provide a distraction. Copy?"

"Loud and clear." The Lancer Veteran smirked. "Coren, Nelson, Jung, Inglebard, Thompson, Peron and Cheslock, with me! Bossman's orders are we split up!"

"With you." The blonde Juno said, racking the bolt of her Gallian rifle. The team split midway through, when they found the alleys that led into the square, whilst the rest went with the tank. And, of course, with the tank, Marina's rifle was the first to go off. An Imperial Officer that led a platoon meant to counter the squad was felled by a direct headshot that tore his helmet off his head. Welkin looked around. To their left was the embankment that held the houses above the River. To their front was a paved road flanked by tall, green grass.

Alicia took a knee and readied her pair of binoculars, scanning the top of the embankment while Rosie and the others made ready to respond to any incoming threat, among which the platoon coming down the ramp ahead. Marina's rifle cracked the air again and an Imperial soldier that came down the ramp tumbled and fell. His heart was eviscerated by the round.

The Sniper girl watched as Alicia advanced with the other scouts, while Rosie and the Shock Troops maintained a line of suppressing fire. The Edelweiss' tracks grinded onto the pavement, with Welkin turning the turret toward the tall grass. Alicia moved up beside the Edelweiss, with 3 other scouts:Noce, Susie and Wavy. They kept their eyes on the grass too...

Alicia called out "Enemy hiding in the Tall Grass, to the left of the Edelweiss!"

As the enemy soldier willed himself up to his feet, he raised his SMG to fire at them... But soon, the grass he hid behind was turned a harsh shade of crimson. Marina's sniper echoed across the Riverbank. She racked the bolt of her rifle back, dumping the empty shell to the right and sliding the bolt back into place. From the front left of the tank, Rosie had witnessed the shot...

"Good shooting..." She murmured. "Eyes open, kiddos! We may have more of them!"

... Just as she said that, from within the grass near the water and to the right of the tank, a Lancer emerged, shouldering his AT weapon and aiming right to the weaker side armor of the Edelweiss... Marina's rifle dropped the man just as he pressed the trigger. The rocket tip slammed into a building, breaking glass and brick upon impact. Rosie, two scouts(Ted and Musaad) as well as a pair of Shock Troopers (Hannes and Jane) regarded Marina with both surprise and respect.

The Sniper racked the bolt and slid in a fresh stripper clip with three rounds, then stepped off, sprinting toward the rear of the Edelweiss, whose main gun roared. An AP Shell narrowly missed an Imperial Light Tank that advanced toward them. The girl bounded toward their own tank just as a return shell from the snub 75mm Cannon of the Imperial Light Tank came over her head. The explosion behind her made her stumble...

She looked up at a roof and watched as an Imperial Sniper took aim for Alicia, or for her...

The Gallian Sniper slid to a halt, shouldering her rifle and squeezing the trigger.

An Imperial Sniper's corpse fell onto the pavement from two stories up. Marina's rifle was a bullet lighter than before. She once again took to bounding toward her teammates, before taking cover with the Edelweiss, where two of the Engineers were. She tapped one of them on the shoulder. Said engineer turned toward her, revealing her Darcsen Heritage. She gave a nod to Marina, pulled her ammo box forward and extended Marina a pair of extra clips for her rifle, which the girl calmly took, giving a silent thank you, before re-emerging from behind the tank.

She scoped in an Imperial soldier that seemed different... A shock trooper just on the right of the ramp. His teammates, in the grass with him, were raked by the SMGs of the Gallian Shock Troopers... But he was fine...

... Not for long...

The bullet from Marina's rifle punched through the side of his helmet, bouncing down and penetrating through brain, jaw and chest. The man fell, dead before he even hit the floor.

"God above, what is with your aim!?" Jane balked, eyes wide, at the woman.

Marina simply hummed, before watching as the Edelweiss bounced a shell from the 75mm Cannon aimed for its front armor... Welkin turned the turret of the tank as they just came over the slope and fired. The shot was point-blank, punching clean through the Light Tank's armor. Mussaad, a tan-skinned man and veteran of EWI, had been distracted enough by the detonation that a round struck him in the shoulder, pinning him against the Edelweiss's side.

"Damn! Musaad's been hit!" Alicia called out.

"It's not bad!" The man responded, standing back up and picking up his rifle "Had worse during EWI! Keep moving!"

Ahead of them, the fortified Town Square... A Gatling Gun raked the tank with bullets. A mere annoyance. But there was a second tank moving toward the Library Square... And it burst clean through a wall, toward the square where Largo was. The Gallians scrambled into cover behind lines of sandbag walls, while others fired toward Imperial troopers taking cover farther into the place. The Town Hall was in sight...

Marina scoped in the Gatling Gun that started to pin them down, noticing it had a narrow slit in its bullet-resistant shield to allow the gunner to see it. And as it angled toward her, she slowly took aim. Beside her, a line of bullets cut a swath, leaving holes in the walls of houses, in the pavement and sandbag walls, but she stood, on her feet and steady, aiming at the slit. The bullets were now mere millimeters from her, on her right. She could hear the pinging against Edelweiss's hull...

Before the tank itself could fire a mortar round to wipe out the Gatling Gun, Marina's sniper rung once again. The round punched through the slit and the man's helmet, nailing him right between the eyes.

"This woman is freakin' Terrifying!" Rosie laughed aloud "Nice shooting!"

Marina's response was, yet again, a simple, wordless nod. She took cover behind a sandbag wall as the Edelweiss's turret traversed. Gunfire echoed and the team saw the unit in the Square advancing, rifles, SMGs and lances barking. O'Hara managed to snipe a Shock Trooper officer, smiling. And Largo bore a grin on his face as he raised his lance and snapped off a shot toward the tank that came after them. Said tank detonated in a blaze of fire.

Marina's rifle barked again and a Sniper near the sandbags defending the front of the Town Hall lost his head.

"Okay, NOW, she's starting to scare me..." Alicia said, firing her own rifle. An Imperial Trooper staggered as a round nicked his leg, tumbling to the floor. Rosie's SMG greeted another one with six bullets right to the chest. He died faster than the last one... The Redhead turned her gaze toward the Darcsen Engineer, Nadine, tending to Mussaad's wounds...

The teams formed up at the center of the square with the Edelweiss advancing. Its main gun roared again and an explosion followed. An Imperial Shock Trooper drew and threw a grenade. It arched up and began to fall, landing right between Alicia and Juno... The former grabbed it off the floor and tossed it, before crying "TAKE COVER!" and ducking behind a sandbag wall with the blonde as it exploded.

Edy filled the man who threw the grenade full of lead. She smirked, leaning against the wall, and spoke to herself "I got one..." before calling out "I GOT ONE!"

"Good shootin' Grey!" Rosie smirked, jumping over a sandbag wall and dashing into another set. Her SMG raked a squad of Imp Scouts as they moved to intercept her. Several wounded and several dead were what remained. Rosie slid into cover and reloaded her gun, before watching Edy glare at her. Redhead smirked and called out "Call me when ya can do that!"

Marina's and O'Hara's snipers roared again. The latter missed. But the former hit again. An Imp collapsed...

The rumble of engines filled the Square. And the loud _**BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT **_of the Punisher's main gun sounded off. A hundred heavy rounds filled the bridge full of lead and the Gallians now noticed both the Cadians and the East Imps advancing toward each-other. An East Imp light tank had been filled full of hot lead. Following it, 11 Barrels chorused a song of death and fire, lighting up three more Light Tanks and the Imperial Half-Tracks behind them...

The Baneblade came into view, with the Cadian Infantry and Gallian squads joining together in an assault. Heavy Weapons Support Teams proceeded to set up their gear. Mortars, Rocket Launchers and Autocannons began to rain down onto the advancing Imperial reinforcements, whilst the Cadians, among which Commissar-Major Colin and his Cadets leading, advanced.

Marina's sniper barked again... And Colin looked to his left, to see a False Imperial with a knife collapsed, a bullet in his throat. The man spasmed once, before one of Colin's cadets pumped a single Las-Pistol shot into the traitor's head. Colin, meanwhile, turned to Marina and gave her a nod, which she answered in kind, before forming up with her squad...

As the False Imperials beat the retreat, Squad 7 finally managed to sit down and catch their breaths...

Marina was eyed by several people as she sat alone. Quickly, the Huntress disassembled her weapon and began a thorough cleaning process. The West Bank had been a mess to clear, but they'd done it relatively quickly. And Marina never once missed a shot... She was thankful her aim remained true even after joining the Militia. A lot had happened and the situation seemed... Very calm.

At least for now...


	8. Vasel Part 4:The Counterattack

The tanks of the joined Regiments had been neatly lined up in the square. Gallians and Cadians had helped each-other set up tents for the command center and medical area. In the while, the Artillery had been brought down and set up behind the Town Hall. Freesia watched with a smile as the Cadians prepared themselves. Sure, they were a scary bunch what with their flashy guns and all that, but some of them seemed nice.

Freesia had always been free-spirited, since she could remember. The Desert of Barious had always been her home and that of her original people and the loss of her parents had been a bit traumatic. She didn't know them very well, since they'd died when she was very young, but alas... No time to be sad about that, as much as she'd like to. Her gaze swept over the Cadian lines.

She watched one of them stand up from behind a vehicle, hauling a pair of boxes over toward a tent. He had shorter black hair, but not buzzcut like most of his compatriots. He was pretty cute too, Freesia noticed. A few scars here and there, but that didn't detract from it... The tanned girl smirked, biting onto the index of her glove... Before feeling a hand hit her over the back.

She jumped, turning her head to see Edy, a smile on her face as she asked "Checkin' out the guys there, Frees?"

"U-Uh" The Desert-born stuttered, blushing.

Edy chuckled "It's alright." and she stepped up beside the girl, staring at exactly the boy she was looking at. She gave a nod of approval and said "Well, he's cute, I'll give ya that." playfully. The two girls staggered as the artillery pieces fired staccato into the enemy's positions. Edy followed one of the shells until it was supposed to vanish behind a building, but she saw it burst in the air, sending a wave of shrapnel down below... She cringed, then turned back to Freesia.

"If you two are checking out Alvin, may I suggest learning part of his story?" A Cadian's voice came over the whistles of shells.

The two staggered, turning back, to see a black-haired woman with teal eyes and a smile on her face. She chuckled, then said "Calm, calm, Gallians. I'm Yrine, of the Cadian 13th... And you two are staring at my brother, Alvin. AKA 'Auto-Gun Al'." and she joined them.

"He's your brother?" Freesia asked, brow quirking up.

"Yep. Alvin Karon. Lieutenant for Squad 7, Shock Infantry of the Cadian Youth." The girl responded, calmly.

"Heh,

"Why's the nickname 'Autogun Al'?" Edy inquired next, crossing her arms.

Yrine smirked "The idiot charged a heavy autogun emplacement atop one of the hills we were fighting to recapture during the Battle for Cadia. Alone. With a half-loaded Las-Rifle and his Cutlass." before looking at the surprise on the girls' faces and grinning. Seeing her brother turn toward them, she waved at him and showed him to come over. Dropping the crates where they needed to be, he grabbed his Lasgun, slung it on his back and approached them.

"'Sup, sis?" The Cadian asked, a voice smooth as butter. He tipped his helmet to the Gallian girls and he could swear he heard the tan one swoon a bit.

Yrine snorted. "These two were talkin' about ya. Figure you may want to get to know'em better." before patting him on the shoulder "I gotta go talk to the Gallian Army officers nearby. Colonel's orders."

The boy rolled his eyes and said "Alright, sis, see ya."

"Take it you're not a fan of the Colonel?" Edy held her arms crossed. The kid shrugged and looked to them. The girl pursed her lips and looked to Freesia... She wasn't sure what the reason was, nor if they should press on. The looks they gave one-another said that pretty much they should drop the issue. Edy then turned to Alvin and said "Well, skipping past any of that, my name's Edy Nelson, rising star of the Gallian Squad 7! And the gal behind me is Freesia York."

... Vanitous much, Edy? Freesia shook her head, then nodded and said awkwardly "Y-Yup. Hey there! I'm Freesia and I'm... Well, was a dancer before joining the Militia. Also desert-bred'n'all that..."

Alvin's smile returned and he snorted "Explains that nice tan."

"Y-Y-You think it's n-nice?" Freesia blushed, scratching her cheek and smiling awkwardly.

"Sure. It's exotic." Shrugged the boy.

Freesia giggled like a schoolgirl, blushing... And Edy saw fit to step off and away, leaving the two alone for now. She walked through into the Cadian Motorpool, to witness a squad of Cadian Engineers working on the tanks. She looked over to the multi-barreled monstrosity known as the Punisher to them and saw its crew testing hydraulics, whilst one _recited a prayer?_

The sponson guns rotated and one tracked her... Those things were 40mm Machine Guns... She froze...

"Wow, wow, turn that away!" One of the Engineers said, standing up and waving the Gun turret away. He was an older gentleman, with a gruff voice. He turned about to greet Edy and holygodabove WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HIS LEFT EYE?! It was a piece of metal stuck into a scar with a scarlet center! A prosthetic eye!? WHAT?! Edy felt a pit form in her stomach...

"You okay, missus?" The man asked, kneeling in front of her.

"I-I'm okay... What's wrong with..." She motioned to her own left eye, scared.

"Oh, that's just my augmetic eye. Lost my original one on Cadia and the Techpriests were kind enough to give me one." The man returned, helping the girl to her feet. He seemed nice enough. The girl nodded to him and was about to introduce herself, when an explosion once again knocked her off her feet... Overhead, debris and glass from the house that'd been hit rained down on them, leaving cut marks on Edy's face as she ducked...

She looked up and saw the older Crewmen board the Punisher quickly and felt a hand yank her to her feet. She turned to her right to see a girl in plate armor, with a cutlass, Commissariat peaked cap and las pistol drawn. She yelled out "Do you wanna die here, Gallian!? Get to your squad and man defensive positions! The False Ones are attacking us across the bridge!"

"They want our bridgehead back, Commissar?!" Called out the man with the bionic eye. The Commander of the tank.

"That they do, Captain!" The Commissar Cadet unhanded the Gallian. They saw a wry grin form on the commander's face.

"Leave that to me and my crew, ma'am. We'll make their infantry regret ever trying to cross."

As the man ducked back into the hatch of his tank, Edy stood to her feet and rushed to grab her SMG. She watched as the Baneblade took position in front of a now heavily-fortified bridgehead, where Cadian Heavy Weapons teams took positions... The 'Bolters' as they were called by the Guardsmen, were ready to fire, alongside high-caliber Auto-Cannons and what seemed to be an energy gun that was powerful enough to punch through tanks.

As artillery from the East Imps flew wide, the Cadians returned fire with extreme prejudice. The Basilisks rumbled and roared. 132mm Earthshakers burst into the opposite end of the river... And the Sevens immediately saw the approaching threat. Imperial Soldiers wearing lighter armor than most and no helmets charged first. They were in brown uniforms with a black stripe around their left forearms and some wore caps, others hats... Some even had the looks of Prisoners...

But to the Cadians they were just a target...

The Bolters let loose their thundering roar. Rocket-Propelled 40mm Rounds screamed through the air and cut into the Imperial line. Those that didn't explode upon impact were showered by the gore of their comrades. Lances of scarlet came from the Cadian rifles and the cannonade of artillery made the deep, thrumming contrast to their sharp whistles, snaps and cracks. A symphony of the devil played into the ears of the Gallians, all of whom stared with shock at the fast response of the Cadian units.

Troopers by the riverbank's lower area fired up onto the Bridge, sending the corpses of false Imperials falling into the water and Vox Casters communicated a flurry of orders and calls between the different Guard Platoons present. What put a cap on it was the rumbling thunder of the Punisher revving and sending an unending wave of bullets into the narrow corridor of the bridge. The roar was unbearable, to the point even the Boys and Girls in Blue fell onto their backs and covered their ears.

Welkin had ordered Isara to drive up beside the Baneblade as its cannon depressed, turret traversing toward the bridge. Welkin appeared out of the turret cupola and looked to see Matt appearing out of his. The Colonel pulled out his comm system and ordered with the most horrifyingly straight and unsympathetic face Welkin had ever seen from an officer and, much more, _from a young boy_ "All guns, focus fire on the bridge. Not one passes! Not one gets the privilege of surrender! Gun them ALL DOWN!"

The gunfire intensified as the Gallians joined the line, with Marina taking cover behind the sandbags of the Autocannon nest. Edy and Rosie followed her, with the former seemingly frightened as she stood below the tower of their bridgeheads. They watched as the East Imperials, tattooed, insane or just plain scared, charged headlong into them. Some were vaporized, others were left with neat holes drilled in their skulls and many fell into the river.

Corpses began to pile from the fusillade of Laser striking the bridge, forming cover for their still-living comrades... Behind them, the rumble of tank treads came. And Colin, standing at the forefront, called out "FALSE IMPERIAL ARMOR! AUTO-CANNONS, MAKE THEM REGRET SHOWING THEMSELVES!" and raised what appeared to be a bolt pistol. His first shot sent an East Imperial tumbling to the floor, missing his head.

One got too close for comfort. The Powered Sword in Colin's hand severed the man's head in one slash. The Headless corpse stumbled forward two feet before it collapsed in front of a horrified pair of Gallian Girls... Juno Coren gagged, while Susie immediately passed out... But Colin and his Commissariat Cadets were unfazed, as were most Cadians, just continuing to fire.

Their guns echoed and thundered. Imperial soldiers were felled by the dozen. And the Punisher's cannon didn't relent, to the point they needed to bring in more ammunition for it. The Commissars cut swathes with their Power Swords into the lines of East Imperials as they came too close, throwing some off the bridge while simply letting others pile up as corpses by their feet in a slaughter brutal enough for Khorne to feast for a century...

Alicia joined Susie and Juno, picking up her passed-out friend and leaning her against the sandbag walls, before looking to Juno and asking "What's going on!?"

"The Cadians, Sergeant! They..." She turned her head and raised her rifle, firing twice, before an East Imperial pounced into the trench. She stopped the tip of his bayonet from entering her chest and saw the angry, tattooed prisoner, probably a Penal Trooper, glaring at her with killer eyes. Juno struggled with whim, whilst Alicia raised her rifle. Before either could do anything to get the False Imp bastard off, a Cadian soldier, a girl, plunged her bayonet into the man's side and kicked him off, before stabbing him right in the throat and snapping off a single las-shot that vaporized his head.

The girl grabbed Juno by the arm, yanked her to her feet and barked "Stand, Gallian! It isn't your time to die yet! Not while we're here! Stand and FIGHT!" and she slammed the Gallian-2 Rifle into Juno's chest, before turning back to battle. Her Lasgun cracked the air and another Imp fell. One round hit her in the shoulder and she spun, falling to the floor and grabbing onto the wound...

She groaned in pain, then let loose a string of colorful curses as the East Imps, before pulling out a grenade from her belt and throwing it toward the wall of flesh, guns and steel that advanced toward them... The detonation was deafening, sending waves of shrapnel into the line that skewered or outright gutted East Imp troops. Juno knelt behind cover, eyeing down the sight and firing into the crowd... Alicia joined her in a combined attack. They couldn't miss even if they tried...

Alicia froze, eyes wide with fear, as the Commissar's power sword cleaved one of the East Imperials in half. His bolt pistol cracked the air and another East Imp fell into the river, without a head. He dropped the empty magazine, bisecting another Imperial with a swing and stabbing the next through the chest while he reloaded. Using the one Imp impaled on his sword as a shield, he put up the Bolt Pistol and pushed forward, firing the weapon into the crowd...

He ducked under an AT Shell that flew just over his head and struck the Baneblade's front armor, bouncing high and exploding in the air. The Baneblade gave an 11-gun salute that pretty much vaporized a swath of the East Imps on the bridge, luckily not hitting anyone of their own. Yet the East Imp Penal Battalion didn't relent. Colin pulled his sword out of the East Imp's chest, letting the corpse fall to the floor, before watching as the Punisher's rounds saturated the tank wrecks which the Imps used for cover with High-Caliber shells.

Welkin advanced beside the Riverbank, where a few Cadian Mortar Teams were laying heavy fire onto the Imperial Bridgehead. The Chimeras repositioned themselves and brought the lascannons in their turrets about... Bursts of light struck the support beams and the advancing Imperial Platoons even harder... Corpses piled on and on at the bottleneck. The Artillery struck the other side with impunity...

Welkin watched from aboard Edelweiss as the Cadians held back the enemy assault with zero regard... The wall of guns was so powerful that the Gallians found themselves lowering their weapons and just watching the onslaught, with eyes wide. The Seventh Platoon lieutenant watched as the Colonel got out of his tank and joined his Commissar Major in the line... Yet he had an even more horrifying weapon.

A sword whose cutting edge was made up of teeth was in one hand, whilst in the other, a weapon similar to the Executioner's plasma gun, but scaled down to pistol form. He raised it and aimed it at an Imperial tank... And before he shot, Welkin could swear he saw the boy mutter a prayer...

Once he squeezed the trigger, it didn't take long for the small, fist-sized ball of blue fire to strike its target. The Imperial tank's forward plate melted upon impact and the driver inside was doused in the superheated metal. The rivets in the plating became hot shrapnel inside the tank, that killed the gunner of the fixed right turret. The man didn't even have time to scream...

The spine-chilling hiss of the Executioner's own supersized Plasma Cannon was what followed, as the ball of heat flew over the Cadians' heads and struck the tank in force. It and whoever was around it just _blinked _out of existence the moment the projectile exploded. The supports of the bridge heated too... And the Colonel tapped his microphone and spoke via vox "Executioner _Wall Breaker_, cease your fire. We're not here to melt the bridge, we're here to take it."

An East Imperial soldier, this one clad in proper armor and with a bayonet affixed, charged the Colonel. Without flinching, the colonel let the engine of the weapon roar to life... And he slashed the man in half in a shower of blood and gore. It wasn't fast or gracious, like the Power Sword. It was gruesome... And the blood-curdling, heartbreaking scream that the Imperial let loose upon feeling the teeth of the weapon tear into his armor and flesh had ten Gallians pale, five of which threw up or nearly fainted... Welkin merely watched as the bloody mess that was once a man fell to the floor and blood and chunks of flesh hanged off the teeth of the Chain-Sword...

His mouth dried up and he swallowed empty, then looked to Isara, who'd shielded her eyes from the slaughter...

A trumpet called the East Empire's retreat... A dozen soldiers of the Regular army turned about, in fear, as the Cadians let lasers loose onto them. The artillery fired at the Imps' bridgehead, thumps of detonation muffling the screams of those damned to be greeted by the mortars and 132mm Shells. The Cadians didn't cease fire even as the enemy fell back, their expressions deadpans, their eyes locked onto their prey... The screams of the soldiers did get to Alicia and her comrades, however. Susie was hiding her face behind her palms, Rosie had paled and Juno was leaning against her rifle, having taken her glasses off. The brown-haired Second-in-Command to Squad Seven was scared... Not for the Imperials, because they were the foe, but because she was bearing witness to what an army of children could do, given enough motivation

"Cease fire!" Alicia cried to the Colonel, scared. "Colonel, CEASE FIRE! THEY'RE RETREATING!"

As she watched the Cadians continue firing, the girl couldn't help herself... Clambering over the Sandbags, she rushed the Colonel, pulled him by the shoulder and forced him to look at her and begging, half with tears in her eyes, half with the voice of a concerned mother "COLONEL! THE IMPERIALS ARE RETREATING! WE'VE BLOCKED THEIR COUNTERATTACK AND WON! ORDER YOUR MEN TO CEASE FIRE, _PLEASE!"_

The Colonel had almost snapped off a shot into her stomach... But he soon realized she was a Gallian... Shaking his head, he looked Alicia in the eyes, noticing the tears... Then he looked over to see Welkin hanging off the top of the cupola and staring at them and... Isara, covering her mouth with her hands... He took a moment, then cued his vox "All units, objective accomplished... Cease fire immediately. I repeat, Cease Fire immediately..."

... He took a moment to look back at the corpses and bullet holes that riddled the bridge, then spoke "Get me a cleanup detail on our side of the bridge too. We've made quite the mess..." calmly. He stepped off and away from Alicia, toward the CP tents... The Gallians helped each-other up, while the Cadians went back to their usual business... Edy pursed her lips, watching the Karon brothers step away from the battle... Chatting...

Welkin went to get Alicia... The girl was stuck for a moment...

And Isara looked toward the Colonel as he went to talk to a stunned Captain Varrot...

They probably needed to have an actual talk after this...


	9. Vasel Part 5:The Bet

**_COMMAND TENT._**

Colonel Matias sat in the CP Tent of the joint Regiments, looking over maps of Vasel and at the orders transmitted from the upper echelons of Gallian High Command. Their orders were to undertake a direct attack on the enemy bridgehead with all available assets. No doubt that rat bastard Damon issued these orders. The Colonel scratched the back of his head, leaning onto the table, then said "So... Your General expects us to punch through the enemy's bridgehead while the controls are in their hands? They could easily open the bridge and let many of us fall to our deaths."

Receiving light nods from the Gallians, the boy shook his head and looked to Colin, before saying "I should've just let you put one through his skull..." regretfully... He stared at the Western bridgehead and said "We've been hammering the place with enough artillery that I think the False Imperials would think twice about poking their heads out, but I still will not risk my assets on crossing it without guarantee of success."

"It's but a few tanks, Colonel. I don't doubt you can spare them..." A less-than-ideal Regular Army officer intervened, a calm look on her face. She was blonde, had really strong eyeliner and wore a spiral pendant, as well as her Army Colonel uniform. She also had a mole under her left eye. The glare the Cadian Colonel gave her told her that really wasn't the case...

"Our Armored Fighting Vehicles are pieces of technology beyond what they look to you. They're hard to maintain and harder still to acquire, especially now, with our armed forces having appeared here without any sort of other military support, Colonel Gassenarl." Matt responded, crossing his arms. "I will not be butting heads with the poorly-trained officers of the Regular Army... We are not advancing over that bridge until we are sure it is properly secure."

The woman squinted, glaring at him...

"Uhm... Colonel..." Welkin spoke and both of them turned toward him. "Colonel Telos, I meant..."

"Something wrong, Lieutenant?" The boy inquired, brow quirked up.

"Can... Can we have a talk outside for a moment?"

... The Colonel's shoulders sagged. He had a feeling, but... Oh well. He gave a nod and the two stepped outside, into the now-gathering rain clouds overhead. And before Welkin could say anything, Matt started "I know what you want to talk to me about, Lieutenant. This is how we fought wars on our world. No mercy, no survivors, because if you let them leave alive and regroup, they'd come back twice as strong. I don't know how war plays out in this world, but I know there's three common standards to it:Have the biggest gun, fight like hell and make sure the other bastard dies."

"I've been in a state of perpetual warfare since I was young, Lieutenant. Maybe 6 or 7 is when my first memories came to me and I was in a class back on Cadia teaching us how to field-strip our Lasguns." The boy explained, relaxed, calm and collected "I killed my first man... I don't even remember when, but I've been fighting since that day against Chaos cults, monsters, daemons and traitors. War is brutal and unforgiving, Lieutenant. Doubly so where I come from. Mercy is something one can ill-afford when the person you're letting live will just pull a knife and stab you in the back. Mercy is a weakness to many of us."

"I get it, but..." Welkin sighed "I've been getting concerned responses from my squad relating to working with you and your kids, Colonel. It's... It's terrifying even for me to know you can kill a man and smile the next day as if nothing happened, especially since you're kids and, frankly, I am very sorry you lived in a world where killing was mandatory even for children... But you need to understand we also have rules here, for war..."

The Colonel snorted "Rules? Lieutenant, what pesky moron thought that RULES would serve anyone in WAR. It's kill or be killed and I don't think any man would follow any rules. And if they do, they're a probable liability, with all due respect."

Welkin wanted to respond, feeling a pit in his stomach, but the flash of a camera took both of them by surprise. The Colonel cocked his head, to see a blonde woman with glasses and a reporter's outfit smiling at them. "Heee~llo!" She said ecstatically "I'm Irene Ellet, a reporter for GBS Radio! Please, tell me I got the two young adults I needed to get to!"

"Uh..." Matt's brow quirked up "Whom might you be looking for, ms. Ellet?"

The girl looked into a notebook she had in her hand and said "Colonel Matias Telos of the... 'Cadian 13th' and Lieutenant Welkin Gunther of Squad 7, Militia Regiment 3."

"That's us." The younger of the two answered. "What do you need of us?"

"I actually wanted to interview you guys! When I heard that the Militia was cooperating with some super-advanced army of teenagers, I just had to come look into it!" She jovially stated. The Cadian officer sighed. Reporters were usually those over-eager bunch that loved to document even the tiniest details of a soldier's life. He'd heard from on-duty friends and superiors about them a while back.

"Forgive me if I don't show interest, ms. Ellet." The Colonel said simply, a more cold attitude. He looked to Welkin and said "She's all yours, Lieutenant."

Stepping off, the Guardsman walked down toward the riverbank via that ramp the Edelweiss had used earlier today. He froze, noticing a figure standing by the edge of the water. Clad in her shoal and the tank engineer's uniform, with dark-blue hair and eyes. Her hands were placed on her chest and she seemed to be thinking of something. He pursed his lips... She must've seen him too, during the last bit of killing near the bridge. Walking on, a hint more nervous than prior... Which he found odd, considering the life he'd been living, the Colonel stopped a few feet from her, right at the side of the water. She turned her head upon seeing him, then smiled.

He turned to see her and, well... His entire body felt numb for a moment. She was cute... And pretty. For some reason, he felt his heart skip a beat. Smiling back, despite feeling his cheeks burn red, the boy watched as she walked toward him... And the burning sensation got worse. Had he been hit by some sort of chemical weapon, or something? He didn't recall the False Imperials having deployed any such weapons...

As she got to within half a foot of him, she said "Hello... I don't believe we've had a chance to be properly introduced yet, Colonel."

"That, we did not." He spoke calmly, suppressing the blush just before she'd gotten to him. He extended his gloved hand and said "I'm Matias Telos, but you may call me Matt."

She shook his hand "I'm Isara Gunther. A pleasure, Matt..." and she quipped "Though, since you are a Colonel, should I not technically call you 'sir'?"

He shrugged "It's entirely up to you, ms. Gunther. You're the Lieutenant's sister, then?"

"Yes. Adopted, but yes" She returned jovially. All was going well so far. "Perceptive, Matt... Also, just call me Isara, okay?"

"Gotcha, Isara." Matt gave a nod "Then we can stick to Matt for me."

"So..." Isara looked over to the other side of the river, at the enemy-controlled territory. "I... Take it our mission is going to be assaulting that side of the city?"

Matt sighed deeply, annoyed by the reminder "Afraid so." before crossing his arms. He wanted to blame Damon for this, but he didn't have any proof... Alas, if it was the case, the fat pig would best hope he had some good cover and good agents to hide his tracks. Which he undoubtedly had access to, due to the simple fact he was the General to the Gallian Military...

She looked to him, now with no smile, but instead evident worry, pursing her lips, then practically begged "Please, tell me we have a plan?"

"I'll be working on one with the Lieutenant." The Colonel took up a ramrod straight posture, arms crossed. "I don't think the False Imperials will just let us cross the bridge unopposed, but we'll figure something out." before looking to her and giving a reassuring grin "I don't doubt we'll have something squared away by tomorrow, so don't worry..."

She smiled back and Matt once again had to double over, heart suddenly galloping. God-Emperor, she was cute. "So..." She spoke, once again facing the river as to hide her own blush "I hope it isn't prying, but... I understood from... Well, everything relating to you and your people, that you aren't of our world, nation and weapon-wise. And figured that, if 'Cadia' was not a country you could find on a map, which it isn't... I... uh..."

"Cadia is..." He narrowed his eyes, staring up at the sky as his voice went more... Sad, deep. "_Was_ our home world. A War World, to others, as it was nicknamed. It was the blue and green gem we were born and trained on. The warriors of Cadia, the violet-eyed, blonde-haired warriors of the Imperium of Man. Born and living to fight the endless threats that dare challenge our people and humanity as a whole... Never was there a dull day on Cadia. If you weren't training, sleeping or eating, you were putting down an incursion or cult before they became too dangerous or working in the factories to supply the Regiments that were founded and going off-world to fight in another theater..."

Isara inched a bit closer to him, listening intently. "What happened to it?"

"It's... A long story, Isara." He returned, a bit more cold "Please, don't pry further."

... It was hurting him to think about it. She could see that... Nodding, she fiddled with her shoal, continuing to speak "Well..." She tried to bring another smile to herself and managed it. "You're here now. And I don't think anyone has managed to, but I want to thank you for offering to join our nation's defense... A lot of people think we'll lose this war, because the Imperials are this close to Randgriz... So thank you..."

Turning his gaze to meet hers, the Colonel nodded "It's what we do, Isara... We're the Imperial Guard. We hold the line and protect the innocent. If your people think the war is lost because these Pretenders made it within a few kilometers of your capital, they and the Bastards have yet to see what the Cadian Shock Troops can do when unleashed."

Her smile grew wider "I'm happy to hear that. It means this war will be over yet."

The sound of footsteps interrupted any further chatter. The redhead and the Lancer Sergeant of Squad 7 approached, the former with a bit of a glare aimed at Isara, while the other was smoking a Cigarette. Matt stepped up in-between them and spoke "Something the matter?" before the taller man pushed him aside, muttering something about this not being his business... He grabbed onto the man's wrist, a deadpan look on his face and a pair of eyes full of rage.

"H-Hey, kid, let g-" Largo was cut off as the Colonel yanked him toward him. A cock of a pistol and two girls' gasps later and Largo was staring down at the hand that clasped the grip of a holstered bolt pistol. The deathly stare and aura of the kid had flicked from a calm, friendly and a bit sad of a soldier to that of an officer. Isara felt a chill shoot up her spine as she watched the older man face the barrel of the weapon...

"I asked you something, Sergeant. I expected an answer." The Colonel spoke, emotionless and almost mechanical. He let go of Largo's wrist and stepped back. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, a lot is wrong here, kid." The man returned. "How about you take your hand off that gun before one of us has to teach you some manners."

"Funny... I was about to suggest a class on manners myself." The Colonel snarkly snapped back, his other hand wrapping around the hilt of his Power Sword. "Speak unless you want the Commissar or me to administer what is common punishment for insubordinate Guardsmen. What is the matter with you two and what do you want from her?" He motioned toward Isara with a tilt of the head.

"Y'wanna know what's botherin' us, kid?" Rosie growled "I'll tell ya. I ain't servin' with no Dark-Hair in this squad." and she shoved a finger in Isara's face... The blue-haired girl didn't flinch.

... Of course. Jonah had been kind enough to share stories of the persecution of Darcsens with the entire officer cadre of the Cadian Regiment. Sighing deeply, the boy shook his head. "As I feared, Darcsen haters... We've heard of your so-called Calamity, you morons. And until proven otherwise, I will openly say that, thanks to the heretical Religion from which this originated, I and my men will openly disregard any such myth as naught but that. A lie. The Darcsen are as human as the rest of us."

"What?! Lies?!" Rosie balked "Kid, have you looked at their hair and eyes?!"

"Hair color doesn't denote anything of importance to me, especially regarding this conversation, Corporal." The Colonel returned calmly. "Corporal Gunther, please, depart." He nodded to Isara, then touched his Vox-bead and said "Colin. Down to the riverbank. Take three Guardsmen with you, please."

"Oh, hell no." Rosie growled "She ain't going nowhere. Ya hear that, Dark-Hair?" And she turned to Isara, grabbing her by the collar. Whilst Isara was unfazed for a bit, she froze, looking at ... The cock of the gun sounded off from behind her and she turned just in time to see the boy pointing the Bolt Pistol at her. She stepped back, staggering a bit as she watched the boy's unchanging face.

"Kid. Put it down." Largo said authoritatively.

Ignoring him, the Colonel glared at Rosie. His voice, unemotional, robotic even, made Rosie turn pale, as he warned "Harm or in any way cause injury to her or any Darcsen, of your squad or not, _Corporal Stark_, and I will make sure that you fall in the care of me and my men." his words accentuated by the sound of four pairs of boots and the hiss of arming Lasguns and a las-pistol, pointed at the duet. The redhead had to take a few moments to compose herself.

"What has happened, Colonel?" Colin asked, his Las Pistol aimed right at Largo, finger away from the trigger.

"Insubordination, Major." The Colonel said coldly.

"I see. The Lieutenant of Squad 7 was trailing us after you called, sir. He lagged behind, getting his Sergeant." The Major hummed, thumbing the safety, his other hand placed over the pommel of his own Power Sword. The Colonel nodded, waving the weapons down... He already had made a scene with these two. No need to get the Lieutenant involved. Stowing their weapons, the Cadians waited as two more pairs of boots joined them.

"What is going on here?!" Welkin barked, looking between the two parties.

"We-"

Rosie was cut short by the Colonel speaking calmly "I and Corporal Gunther were engaged in small-talk when these two came to interrupt and pick a fight with her, Lieutenant. When I asked them, thrice, may I add, to tell me what the problem was, they elected to tell me about their alignment toward Darcsen and began to harass Isara, reason for which I drew my pistol and called the Commissar in... But I would hazard a bet that it's not just that with Sergeant Potter, however."

"What?" Largo's brow quirked up. "Whaddaya mean, kid!?"

"Judging by demeanor, you're a Veteran." The Colonel continued "The First Europan War, since this is the second... You fought through it well and think that the Lieutenant cannot lead just because he has the name of Gunther, since he's too young... You're glaring at me much the same way for leading a Regiment and I've seen it, Sergeant. I'm not blind."

... Largo had to take a moment or two to process the kid nailing it on the forehead... But as he regained his composure, he started to speak "Well, you hit it right on the head, kid. I'm not keen on no Greenhorns running our unit. You won one fight and are already pulling up as a bigshot, boss-man." turning to Welkin "What makes you so worthy of leading our squad, 'sides the name? 'Cause so far I ain't seen much."

Alicia wanted to intervene. Hell, she looked to the Colonel or Major to intervene as Largo stepped up to face Welkin. But she noticed Welkin was multi-tasking, at least in looking... He was looking at some reeds by the riverbank and at Largo... Crossing his arms and taking up a more stern tone and attitude, Welkin, not intimidated, spoke "How about we make a bet, Largo? I'll have the Grand Vasel Bridge back in our hands in 48 hours. And if I do, you will have to listen to my orders and like it!"

Largo, Alicia and even the Cadians went bug-eyed at that... But the lancer man laughed and asked "Your funeral, Boss-man... And if I win?"

"Then I will resign and hand you control of Squad 7." The Lieutenant spoke sternly. Oh, boy, well done, Lieutenant...

Welkin extended his hand "Do we have a deal?"

Largo's smirk as he shook Welkin's hand told them as much... Oh, joy...


	10. Vasel Part 6:Unto the Breach

**_AN:As standard, many thanks to Blazblade for his help with writing this chapter!_**

* * *

"Lieutenant!"

Welkin watched as Matt followed him not too far behind. Artillery had ceased fire not too long ago, but the faraway sound of gunfire remained. A squadron of Cadians marched back from a patrol/skirmish nearby with what seemingly remained of the East Imp units on this riverbank just as sunlight had begun to fade. The young Gallian officer stopped, to greet Matt in a face-to-face talk and the Colonel stopped just in front of him. Raising a brow, the Lieutenant asked "Something the matter, Colonel?"

Matt, arms crossed, said "Lieutenant Gunther, as much as I myself would love to show your two insubordinate subordinates up for that near-mutiny event, I don't think making a bet with them was the most advised thing. I wanted to intervene and I could clearly see your Sergeant did so too, but alas, we figure you have at least some form of plan..." before turning toward the riverbank itself and speaking on "You were staring at some plants... Reeds of sorts. If I remember that one single biology class I was given a while ago, those grow only in shallower parts of the river..."

Noticing a smile on the Lieutenant's face, the boy raised a brow. Welkin said "Very good guess, Colonel. I've been considering a plan with Isara."

"Your sister is an engineer, correct? And she works on your tank. What could she possibly..." As the realization slowly crept up into Matt's brain, his face went through a myriad of expressions, before settling on a combination of surprised and curious. He snorted, arms still crossed, then asked "Can she actually make a tank a submersible vehicle? Because, if yes, our Engineers and Techpriests may or may not start asking questions."

"Yes. I believe in Isara." The man nodded.

Matt looked over the river, onto the enemy's side and saw fires burning, either from artillery or their own camps. Sighing, he said "Alright... If I can acquire a few rowboats, I and some of my men will breach with you." before turning around. He stopped before walking away "Oh, Lieutenant. Send a runner toward me for when we begin operation Cloudburst, will you?"

"I will." Welkin gave a nod. Matt smirked, then stepped away.

Near the tent of the Sevens, Alicia was cleaning her rifle and preparing for the next mission. As she did so, she glanced over to her right, to see the lone Sniper sitting there, checking her own rifle's scope. Alicia had seen her working to cover them and she never once missed a shot. Her skill was a spectacle that was terrifying to behold. Alas, she was glad they had her on their side.

... She was aiming the sniper as they spoke. Alicia watched the bullet pass mere inches from her face, flying toward an Imperial... The clang of a helmet being hit came from afar and Alicia had to wonder what the heck was in her head. She didn't have to ask though, as the girl saw a tall boy pat her on the shoulder and tell her off about firing random shots... Luckily for them, Marina nodded, then pointed something out about hitting the target. The man and his friend, members of Squad 2, gave nods to Alicia as they passed by her, into the square... And Alicia could swear she recognized the leading guy.

Juno and Susie sat together not too far from the Sergeant of the scout unit, checking their guns...

"The Cadians are terrifying..." Susie sighed, looking at Juno. "I mean... How can children be so careless for the lives they take?" and she put her rifle down beside her. Her fellow blonde shrugged, looking over at the kids. Many looked like the dead, their eyes sharp and always looking for targets. The rumble of vehicles echoed from the road and the two girls turned their heads, to see more Basilisk artillery arriving, followed by a trio of Chimeras and the troops they transported...

With a grin on her face, the commander of the Kasrkin jumped off the back of the IFV/transport and approached Colin and the Colonel. Juno turned to Susie and said "I figure it's because they're not exactly children when comparing their experiences of war to ours... Something tells me that Mercy is something they can ill afford where they come from and, thus, that brutal fighting style has transferred over to here."

On the side, two individuals were watching the young soldiers move off the the transport. One had black hair in small spikes with deep Azure eyes who looked upon the Cadians with interest and scrutiny. He had similar uniform to the Militia, but had the red replaced with white and had the same stylized dragon coat of arms as General Siegfried. One had a Mags M4 SMG and Gallian M4 rifle on his back, with two Gallian Colt M1911 pistols and two sabers on his hips. His friend had the standard Militia uniform with a Darcsen patterned armband on his right arm. He had a GSR-M4 on his back, a pair of binoculars on his chest, two Colts on his hips along with two large hunting knives and multiple throwing knives on his belt. His most striking feature was his both hair and eyes being two different colors. His right eye was crimson red and his left eye was a dark blue, while his hair was mostly Dark blue with silver on the edges of his hair.

These were Sergeant Matthew Siegfried and Private Ragna of Squad 2, one of the sister Squads to the Sevens in the 3rd Militia Regiment.

"I still can't believe that they have kids in combat." Ragna said with a frown. "I know they give off the look of professional and die-hard fighters, but it is still kind of a war crime isn't it?"

"Yeah, I get how you mean." Matthew said as he looked upon the child soldiers who had the level discipline and professionalism of the most elite forces in the world. He did look with a bit of cringe at the techpreists as they had rather painful looking implants and how they looked like something out of a horror movie. He did also wondered why some of their transports and tanks looked like more advanced versions of tanks from EW1 (hell most of them had rivets instead of being wielded, the latter being far more common nowadays) with the the tracks of these vehicles resembling them quite a bit.

It really was a strange force, where, while they had advanced looking weapons, some of said weapons looked old...

"Still though, do these guys even have any adults in their forces?" Ragna said. "I'm just concerned about these guys being worse then the damn Hunters can be to their victims."

"Care to explain your viewpoint, Gallian?"

Both of them turned to see the Colonel approaching them, both hands behind his back. Matt was a bit worried since Ragna's bluntness did get him in trouble a few times with Darcsen-Haters and arrogant Nobles, which had gotten under their skin or even ended with a fist fight. Plus from what he had heard him his father, these kids were far from arrogant or even undisciplined like how most child soldiers are seen in the eyes of many countries on their world.

"Yeah, why exactly are kids like yourself soldiers?" Ragna furrowed his brow. "While I appreciate that we now have a new ally to help kick the Imps around, I'm a bit concerned about your people not getting too into the fight and leaving us in a vulnerable position or worse."

"Ragna, I know you're usually blunt, but take it easy." Matt said to his friend i warning. He then turned to Mathias and spoke, "I'm Sergeant Matthew Siegfried and this is my friend, Corporal Ragna. We're members of Squad 2, in the same Militia Regiment as that of the Sevens and friends of Lt. Gunther if you're curious."

Mathias raised an eyebrow at that. He had seen that General Siegfried was a more competent breed of officer than that waste of breathable oxygen, Damon. What did surprise him was that the man's son was fighting along with the Militia. However, he would've guessed it was due to his friends also being in that branch of the military... Plus he wouldn't have needed to put up with the more incompetent Nobles in the Regular Army, such as the Gassenarls.

"Listen here, Ragna was it?" Mathias said as he glared at the Darcsen sniper. "You shouldn't make assumptions about someone until you understand the situation around their upbringing. You may think my soldiers and I shouldn't be fighting all because we are too young, or we're not trained, but believe when I say we have faced greater threats then anything this false Empire could ever come up with." He then sighed. "So, I advise you to learn about where we came from and understand why we fought before you come to conclusions. That type of talk could end up with an incident that could have been avoided and my fellow Cadians would like to not have a war on two fronts."

Ragna raised an eyebrow at the young Colonel's statement. He had the idea that maybe he shouldn't have jump to conclusions about them. However, he still felt disturbed with the idea of child soldiers and if they would be willing to follow along with the Gallians. This was in addition to this Imperium being rather unknown to him and it made him wary of having soldiers who acted too close to the damned Hunters for his liking, if not worse.

Matthew then spoke up to Mathias. "Look, it's just that having kids as soldiers isn't something that our world sees as a good thing. We do follow a set of Rules and Laws of War and making children into soldiers is considered wrong to us."

Mathias sighed at that. "Believe me, Sergeant Siegfried, where me and my fellow soldiers come from, such laws, if they even existed, have been long lost to common knowledge, with no desire of the Imperium to lay out ground rules against Xenos and monsters that would willingly see us all dead. We have to deal with many different powerful forces that could wipe us out if we do not fight with all of our capability, ferocity, and firepower. Our Imperium has endured endless war for millennia, thus we are always willing and able to send even our youngest into the grinder, to secure our survival..."

"Is your Imperium really in that bad of a state?" Matt said. "Wouldn't it be better to bring in newer weapons and equipment? From what it sounds like, your Imperium could use any improvement it can get their hands on."

"I understand why you would say that." Mathias said while crossing his arms. "However, the Imperium has been dealing with rather archaic bureaucracy for millennia. It would take the act of the God-Emperor Himself rising from the Golden Throne, or one of the Primarchs returning, in order to get things moving faster. In addition, the techpriests you've probably seen on your walk here are rather inflexible when it comes to bringing in new weapons and our soldiers would stick with those weapons which are reliable and can kill their opponents."

"So it really is that hard making new weapons?" Matt said. "That to us just seems..."

"Backwards?" Mathias finished. "I understand that is seems strange to you as an outsider looking in. However, its a reality for us that we had to deal with. Even with all of the roadblocks that our Imperium faces, we choose to fight and die for it as we are among those that fight to prevent humanity's extinction among the dangerous and bile xeno and heretic forces that wish to snuff out our existence. In this regard we have to fight against our enemies without mercy and making due with whatever we have to allow the Imperium to fight another day.

"So I'm guessing the Imperium doesn't have any allies or something?" Ragna said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Only the rare Eldar, a race of arrogant and selfish creatures if you're wondering, have made alliances when it benefited both sides at the time, but more-so them." Mathias said with a frown. "Of course, the knife-eared freaks always find a way to stab us in the back. So no, we don't have any real allies where we come from."

That made both Gallians realize that perhaps the Cadians were like this thanks to a whole galaxy that was out to kill them and their compatriots. While they had trouble truly grasping such a thing (though there had been media about aliens invading to take over the world and such), it seemed that the Imperium was stuck in a war to which they were struggling to find anyway to turn the tide. Hell, comparing to what had been affecting Gallia with all of the incompetent and selfish leaders they had, the Imperium was a magnitude of times worse off. It made them wonder how it was even standing to begin with.

"I see..." Matt said while thinking it over. "With how your Imperium is in the position it is in, I guess your people thought that nothing was out of the question in dealing with your foes and trying to win at all costs. While I can't say I''ll be comfortable with child soldiers right now, it will be something that we'll have to get used to. If it means kicking out the Imps and retaking our land, I guess this is our best chance.

"Yeah." Ragna said with a heavy sigh "I have issues with it too, but after hearing what you had to say I get why things are as they are. Sorry about doubting your side of things Colonel."

"It's fine." Mathias said. "It will take time for us to get used to this world and vise versa. We have been given a new chance to do the Emperor's will and by the Golden Throne we will make sure to do Him on Terra proud and crush our common foe."

Matt Siegfried extended his hand to Matt Telos... And Telos shook calmly. The Cadian spoke "We shall see each-other on the battlefield, Sergeant. Corporal." He nodded respectfully to Ragna. He added "For now, we've got Operation Cloudburst to take care of." upon noticing a Squad 7 female scout running toward him. The Colonel turned to greet the Scout, who stopped, saluted and told him the Operation was about to commence...

And indeed, as Night had fallen over the front and the clouds and mist impaired the vision of both friend and foe alike. Whilst not commonly a smart idea to send forth the high commander of a Regiment, Mathias had insisted on joining the assigned squadron that was to fight alongside Squad 7 on the enemy's own riverbank. The colonel had now armed himself with a Lasgun, stowing his Power Sword and pistol in his belt holsters and the Chainsword and Guardsman's Bolt Pistol within the confines of the Baneblade...

He looked to his left. Six boats. Three were full of Cadians, three of Gallians. He eyed the leading rowboat, to see the Gallian Sniper, her rifle shouldered as she scanned the rooftops and windows. The lone wolf was a terrifying beast, especially with her seeming years of experience in sniper training. Her aim was impeccable, to the point the Colonel had considered inquiring to her about training his Marksmen.

Later, though. He watched as the riverbank became clearer... Only to hear the whir of the engine as it emerged from the water at high speed. He grinned as the boats made it aground on the Bank, before his soldiers poured out in a fighting formation. Six False Imp patrols numbering around 3 soldiers each awoke to the sight of a dozen and some Lasguns firing at them, their armor melting as the Las-rounds punched through the thin sheet metal.

The Colonel nodded to the Edelweiss's cupola, to Welkin... The man stood up from the turret, nodded back and raised a flare gun. Firing it into the air gave the brightest signal that the other side of the river could receive. Operation:Cloudburst was a-go. The soldiers poured up over the opening, into the cover of the walls of collapsed buildings. A light stubber squad, or an LMG squad according to Gallian doctrines, took to defending the T-Intersection they'd entered upon deploying.

The Colonel looked to everyone, then spoke "Soldiers of the First Youth! Remember your objective! Secure the bridgehead and slaughter any bastard False Imperial you see! No prisoners! The Emperor watches over us!"

"The Emperor Protects!" Chanted the Cadians in unison.

"Let's move!" The Colonel called out, raising his Las Pistol and blasting the first False Imp he saw.

The MG Team opened up. The autogun roared as the large-caliber bullets struck and carved deep holes into the concrete, brick and wood of the broken houses. Lasguns chattered, followed by the crack of Gallian rifles, as the soldiers advanced in unison. Rosie herself hurled a Grenade over the cover of an Imp Shock Trooper. She took a knee and dumped a full magazine into a squad of retreating Scouts, watching for any movement from the tanks currently sat in neat rows in the motorpool...

One turned its turret...

"Oh, CRAP!" Rosie called out, before pushing a Cadian out of the way and diving into cover, just as a 75mm Shell screamed over their heads, landing in the water behind. She looked over to the tank and cried out "BOSS, WE GOT AN IMP LIGHT TANK!"

"Eleven o'clock." The Cadian kid she'd rescued from turning into paste added, before joining her in cover and firing six shots off from his Lasgun. He turned toward her, then said "Thank you." with a shaken, but appreciative tone. She nodded, smirking, before patting him on the shoulder. She raised her SMG and fired again as an Imperial Scout came past the corner of the little Motor Pool, scratching the wall and hitting two bullets into the man's throat and hip.

The Colonel saw a Shock Trooper approach and let loose a stream of rounds. He dodged to the left, letting the man get close, before slashing his chest armor in half, cutting through steel, cloth and, finally, flesh, to sever his sternum and kill him as the cut entered deep. The soldier spun and collapsed as the Colonel raised his pistol again and fired... Marina's rifle cracked the air and a helmet flew off the head of an enemy Lance-wielding soldier.

A sniper's round struck a Cadian in the armor plating on her shins, knocking her off balance and onto the floor. Noticing shock troops advancing between the tanks and a fuel tank just beside them, she raised her Lasgun and dumped rounds into the blue-shining Ragnite canister. The explosion that ensued engulfed and destroyed three parked vehicles and five of the ten Shock Troops that ran past them...

"Engaging enemy Shock Troops!" Juno cried out, raising her rifle and firing. Susie helped up the Cadian that was knocked off her feet, before both moved into cover just as another round from the Sniper flew right between their heads, narrowly missing both. The Guard Girl nodded to Susie, then raised her Lasgun and fired away at the enemy sniper. The energy beams scorched the concrete behind which the man was hiding, on the second floor of a building. The thunder of the Edelweiss's gun echoed throughout all the combat... And the Imperial Light Tank didn't get to fire again.

Marina's rifle cracked the air. She looked to her left to see Rosie, Edy and Homer approaching.

"Anything big on scope?" Rosie asked, taking a knee beside Maria while Homer handed out ammunition.

"Two tanks on the other side of the two collapsed buildings we're moving around of. Light." Marina stated, before loading another round in the chamber of her rifle.

"Got it." Rosie nodded. She looked back and cried out "Largo! We got two tanks just over the other side of those buildings!" as the man, his Lancers and a mixed fire-team of Engineers and Shock Troopers advanced, under the cover of the Edelweiss's machine gun. A Cadian took a round to the shoulder, sending him to the floor while the others tried to get him dragged out of the line of fire.

Welkin listened into Radio... He paused... Then called out to the Colonel via their Vox "Colonel! We've got an incoming Battalion of Imperial reinforcements about to cross the river!"

"Roger. We'll quicken pace." Mathias answered.

Lynn's SMG chattered as they ran past an enemy position, turning the corner and finding a new enemy tank outpost. A squad of Cadians followed in with rifles at the ready. One even had a Rocket Launcher, from wherever he managed to pull that. The one following him hauled the rockets for the massive ,tubular launcher. The Edelweiss turned the corner with them, its main gun roaring. An AP shell punched through the side of a now-crewed Imperial tank that attempted to leave the place and engage them.

A Lasgun round ignited another barrel of fuel and a dozen more tanks were left as smoking piles of twisted metal. The AT Launcher and his loader took a knee, aiming toward an MG nest set up by the False Imps, before the rocketteer cried out "CLEAR BACKBLAST!" and squeezed the trigger. The missile ignited, the rear part of the tube coughed smoke and a high-explosive warhead trailed through the air with a sharp whistle, slamming into the MG Nest. The remains were a smoking crater and two carbonized corpses.

A defensive position had been set up around the control room of the bridge. One the Cadians were intent on taking. The Colonel led from the front, Power Sword drawn... And under the gazes of Gallians, among which Isara, the men and women... The Boys and Girls of the First Youth, once again surged forward, their Lasguns crying damnation for those they called traitors, false and heretic.

The Colonel jumped over the first line of sandbags, stabbing an imp through with his power sword. The enemy soldier fell, lungs collapsed, onto the floor, as the Colonel rolled forth like a tank, slashing through Imp after Imp and taking rounds into his Carapace armor. A sniper struck a Scout next to him, sending the False One to meet his Maker. The woman bounded the distance between the wall she took cover behind to the Edelweiss. She went prone, stabilizing her rifle on a pair of sandbags and firing again... A False Imp fell into the river.

She bounded again, drawing both pistol and bayonet and firing. Two Imperials that came out of a building due North of them, to their right, fell. Marina gifted each a 9mm bullet from her handgun, a strange action pistol with an exposed barrel and kick-up short-recoil mechanism. She raised it again and fired twice. One in the stomach, one in the head. One gone Imp.

Isara watched Mathias pounce over two more Sandbag walls, before she gasped as two Imperial soldiers drew Bayonets and tried to stab him. He stopped one strike by slicing the man's hand off at the wrist, before stabbing the other through the thigh and executing both with Las-Pistol shots to the head. He walked inside the control room, followed by two Engineers, as the rest of the units cleared out and found hiding spots... He smirked, then pulled the lever that raised the bridge...

The unit of ten tanks and almost 200 individual infantrymen attempting crossing over the river sound found themselves scrambling for their dear lives. The tanks' treads scratched against the drawbridge's surface as it opened, but lost grip... They fell into the water, screaming their prayers to their false gods... Matt stepped out of the control room, sitting himself down on one of the sandbag walls and pulling out his flask. He opened it and took a swig of water... A smile crossed his lips as he saw Isara approach him. He then noticed the Lieutenant, Sergeants and Corporal discussing...

"So... They getting along now?" He quipped.

Isara chuckled, sitting down face-to-face with him. She nodded "Yeah... Thanks for the trust."

"Don't thank me." He shrugged. "Your brother came with that Emperor-forsaken insanity of a plan."

"You helped him develop it." Isara retorted.

He snorted "I will be honest, your brother may seem a bit... Easily distracted." He found the best-suited words "But he is smart... Though most of the success to his plan comes out of your skill with tools." and he thought he caught a faint red tint in her cheeks. She gave a half-mouthed 'thanks' before he offered "Shall we return to the ranks? We've still got to clear most of this bank out."

She nodded... And the two left for their units.


	11. The Village

Standing at the top of a tall hill and with a clear view in all directions, an encampment that was a mishmash of instacrete, wood and wiring for its defenses, the newly-built and minted Cadian Fort, known to its inhabitants as Kasr Creed, in honor of their late Lord Castellan, watched carefully over the crossroads between the town of Amaranthine, the Gallian fort of same name not too far away from them and the Capital. The wooden palisades, erected hurriedly as a simple defense perimeter, were occupied by Cadian Marksmen. Below them, in the second and third lines of defense, formed of trenches and bunkers, were Cadian Heavy Weapon teams and some of the youngest recruits, providing a good defensive perimeter.

In the bunkers, the Heavy Bolters and Auto-Cannons of the Weapons Teams maintained interlocking arcs of fire. And at least a Lieutenant was present at the front, with a Sergeant and their subordinates, in each bunker. Inside, instacrete structures, bunkers and walled-in barracks resided, stretching almost a kilometer deep into the ground, with an Adeptus Mechanicus Manufactorum situated in the far rear of the base.

The base was still under expansion and construction, with the next things to follow being the underground hangars for the base, but the Techpriests were running low on the supplies necessary to build such items. Instacrete was not going to be hard to find, but re-bars, wiring and other such necessities lacked the basic materials to be mass-built. Thusly, the Techpriests found it hard to focus on one thing...

Five days passed since the Cadians had assisted in retaking the city of Vasel. A company of Cadians had received orders from the Colonel to mount up after Jonah, the Darcsen engineer from the city, had come to report a letter from one of his brothers. A Darcsen village near the Diebal Mountain Range was under attack. So, the squads boarded the Chimera IFVs, Las Guns at the ready. And once again, Elaine was out with her platoon on Darcsen Rescue Duty.

She felt the vehicles bounce as they trundled down the unpaved road, watching her squad in the dim red light of the transport's hold. 100 Cadians moved to help a village of around 4,000. This was gonna be a long way away. So she arranged herself to sleep comfortably for the time being. Some of the kids interacted, exchanging small-talk, eating rations or just downright singing... Elaine felt that they needed to remember they were still on a mission, but she squelched any thought of talking them out of having fun... They were all still teens and kids.

The trip had taken four hours. And they were right on the Front Line between the Gallians and Imperials. The roar of artillery echoed in the distance with the chatter of machine gun fire just hints closer. The Southern Sector of Gallia saw less combat between the Rank and File, but here was also where the Regular Army seemed perched and stuck in an endless artillery battle with the False Imps...

The convoy of Chimeras ground to a halt in the midst of a Gallian Army Base. The Infantry exited the vehicles, their boots crunching the snow below. Elaine looked on, awed, at the place that was covered by snow in the middle of Spring. She looked from the snow, then ordered calmly "All units, fall in..." as she saw a Gallian Regular approach. She watched the officer scowl...

"So, you're the reinforcements we requested for?" He hummed.

"Actually, we're-" Elaine started.

"I don't care. Come and prepare your men. We attack the moment the Imperials enter the Darcsen villages." The Regular almost ordered... "You'll be the first ones in afterward."

Elaine took a moment to process that little stub of information handed to her piecemeal by the Officer. From demeanor alone, Elaine understood the man had two intentions:Throwing their lives away in combat, something which no Cadian General would do to their own men, and, of course, letting the Darcsen fall prey to the False Imperials... She hummed, then said "We operate alone." Sternly, walking past the man.

"What?!" He balked, glaring at the Lieutenant.

She looked back to her men, ignoring him, then ordered "Get the Chimeras in a defensive line alongside the settlements. I want a platoon of 20 to be preoccupied with immediate evacuation of all civilians to a safe distance. We will engage the False Imperials head-first. The Colonel promised he'll send a second squadron with a Russ Punisher as soon as they can rearm it." and drew her Las Gun. The Guardsmen saluted and tallied off to work.

The man walked up to Elaine, grabbing her by the collar, but before he could bellow out orders, the Cadian woman grabbed him by the wrist, pulled it off her collar and kneecapped the bastard in the gut hard enough to make him spill his guts. He collapsed to the floor, coughing spittle and some blood out onto the white snow. The Lieutenant knelt beside him, then whispered "We are the Guard. We take orders only from our own and Him on Holy Terra... Not some lowly Royal brat who earned their rank by nepotism."

She watched a pair of Gallians come toward her, pistols drawn, but she simply glared at them and they took steps back, eyes wide. A child stared down grown men with murderous intent. She grabbed the man by the hairs, pulling him back to his feet, before telling him "Stand up, Officer. You're disgracing that uniform further by wearing it... The Gallian units will support us as we defend. Am I understood?"

"W-Wha-?!" Before he could finish, she spun him around, her fingers wrapping around his throat as she lifted him off the ground, in a terrible display of Cadian strength. She scowled, then spoke with a guttural roar "Your men are serving as our Rearguard! ONE of them falls back and I will have one of my Chimeras RUN HIM OVER! AND YOU WITH HIM!" and she tossed him back into the snow. "The Emperor Protects, Gallian... Let us pray he has eyes on you as well, if you fuck with me."

And with that, she stepped off to join the forward line. Down in the small line of settlements that now formed a commune, the Darcsen watched with bugged eyes as the Cadian forces marched inside. Women, youngsters and some of the elders hid. The Cadians looked at the little houses that served as the Darcsens' homes and found themselves at a loss for words. Damaged, chipping and probably about to keel over and break apart. The houses were probably from the first generation of Darcsens brought in...

For what, she could only speculate.

An Elder, a grizzled-looking old man, approached the Lieutenant. He walked with the aid of a cane and his dark-blue hair started to fade into grey... Elaine extended her hand and said "I'm Lieutenant Elaine Maaran. We're here by request of a member of one of the families living here to provide defense." calmly. The Elder shook it... But he seemed surprised. Elaine raised a brow "Something the matter?"

"It's... Just... We aren't used to people being here to defend us... Even the Gallians at the top of the hill are using us as bait for the Hunters..." The man admitted, staring at Elaine.

"Is this because of that idiocy known to many as the legend of the Darcsen Calamity?" She inquired, leaning her rifle on her shoulder... The man nodded again, eyes going to the snowy floor. Elaine hummed, then shook her head and stepped up in the middle of the village. She called out "To all of the Darcsen here! Fear not! We are unlike those of your world! We are here to protect you, from both the False Imperials, the ignorant Gallians and the damnable Heretical religion that caused such a downpour of unfounded hatred onto your kin for so many years! We promise you, we will keep you safe."

She saw a kid appear from behind a pillar. His mom was right behind him... But no father. 'Hunters'. She assumed said 'Hunters' took Darcsens for slave labor, so that would explain that... She looked around, then said "Sixth squad, care for the Civilians and prep evacuation..." before going up to the front line... She didn't talk to the Elders any more, opting instead to let them prepare for evacuation...

But she paused as she saw a group of women approach her. Probably those left without husbands... One had a Hunting Shotgun. Another, a pickaxe. The others had an assortment of tools and hunting weapons and they donned steel plating as armor. The leader of the group approached Elaine and brought a hand up in salute. Elaine saluted back... And the woman spoke "Corporal Jacqueline, Diebal First Irregulars, at your service, ma'am... This is our home... And these bastards took our loved ones and our sons are too young to fight... We will not abandon this place, no matter who pressures us."

"At ease, Corporal..." Elaine murmured, turning toward her. "You're irregulars. Who taught you how to fight?"

"Universal Gallian Conscription, ma'am." Jacqueline returned. "We learned how to fight for our home..."

Fair... "What if I tell you you _will_ evacuate?"

"We'll say hell no, ma'am... The Darcsen have a peaceful 'no retaliation' idea in their minds since that damn Darcsen Calamity thing. Whether it's a lie or not, I don't care... I'm not gonna sit idly by while the Imps take my family away to their damn Work camps in whatever forsaken part of their Empire... And doubly so if people like you exist, who actually seem to give a damn about us." She added calmly, her sunken, dark-blue eyes staring into Elaine's. "You do care about us, right? This isn't just some political stunt or other? Because if you wanna make friends with our government, this is really no way to do it..."

"Meh, to hell with'em." Elaine waved it off. "And yes... You are a people oppressed because of a false Religion spread by False Gods... In the eyes of the God-Emperor's servants, such Heresy will not stand. And with us here, this Religion will burn."

The woman stared, surprised.

And as she did, Elaine ordered forth a squadron of scouts, to find the enemy's encampment, which was probably across the border. Elaine turned to her again and said "Well, Corporal... If you and your comrades want to fight, you will do as I order. I want you and this little squad to help in the center of town. I've ordered some of my men to take a set of automated turrets built by our Enginseers to provide us defenses. Those there will hand you IFF tags, so that our own guns do not engage you."

Jacqueline looked in awe to the Lieutenant, who gave a her a confident half-smile, before turning back to aligning the defenses.

... Later in the evening, reports had come from the scouts that the Enemy was mobilizing. Thankfully, Elaine's forces had been able to set up a set of Trenches with Machine Gun nests and even a pair of Rapid-Firing Lascannons to halt any possible armor the enemy was coming in, of which they were... Three Halftracks and one heavy tank, presumably more armored than its compatriots.

"It's a good day to die, eh, ma'am?" Asked one of the soldiers manning the Lascannons. A grin crossed Elaine's lips.

"That it is." The woman returned, readying her pistol... The roar of engines and the thunder of footsteps against frozen dirt echoed. She raised a hand and raised her index and middle fingers... All lights died within the town. Nothing moved... Everything was as dead quiet as the freezing, settling night. The woman drew her Las Pistol with her right hand, holding a Rosarium with her left and whispering a Prayer...

As the first of the Imperial Tanks emerged, spotlights turned on, Elaine looked to the Darcsen women of the Irregular Corps and nodded to them, showing them to wait... A lone silhouette against the backdrop of broken housing, Elaine was the first to be lit by the spotlights of the Enemy AFVs... A lone woman, with a pistol and an Imperial Rosarium, stood face-to-face with almost six dozen False Imperials armed to the teeth...

She grinned as she watched the False Imperial commander confusedly look at her...

Her grin remained present... She cried out "Came to surrender, False Ones!?"

Two False Imps laughed... The Commander did too.

"I hope you're kidding, girl! You're alone! Surrender and we promise we'll be gentle!" He spoke through the laughter. Electric engines whirred to life atop the buildings and within piles of snow... Green lasers painted a target onto the man's chest...

The woman chuckled... Then cried aloud "CADIANS! _GLORIA FORTIS MILES!" _

Many a dozen lasguns powered. The lights on their batteries flickered to life and the scopes lit up... A line of Trenches, filled to the brim with Imperial Guardsmen baring their teeth and bayonets. Elaine tilted her head, then said "Am I alone then, Traitor?" before aiming her Las Pistol... She nodded... And the Lascannon she stayed beside, one without the metal plating covering its gunner, threw snow up as its powered shot struck the enemy tank dead center, vaporizing the gunner of the Mortar cannon, the legs of the Commander and the driver, before detonating the tank's fuel supply.

"FIRE AT WILL!" Elaine cried "PURGE THE HERETICS!"

She claimed her first kill with her pistol, a False Imperial officer wearing scarlet armor. The wave of Las-fire washed over the other False Imperials, forcing the exposed troopers to either retreat or start charging... The rumble of automated guns and the crack of melee weapons hitting bone came from the left as the Irregular girls engaged, pickaxes breaking helmets, caving skulls, Hunting Shotguns and Rifles snapping round after round.

An Imperial Shock Trooper raised his SMG and opened fire... One of the Darcsen women caught a round in the chest, but another was quick to take her place, firing thrice into the man's chest with her rusty rifle. The Lascannons claimed a Half-Track, vivisecting the lightly-armored transport vehicle from engine bay to rear door. Whoever was inside and didn't deploy got cut in half...

Autocannons from the Chimera transports roared as the vehicles trundled forth slowly, their pintle-mounted Heavy Stubbers joining in on the onslaught. Jacqueline joined Elaine at the front, firing from her bolt-action hunting rifle. The two women nodded to each-other, with Elaine continuing her prayer to Saint Pius and the Emperor as she emptied her Las Pistol's battery into the horde of mewling enemies...

A round bounced off her armor, from a sniper... Another scraped her thigh, but even though she staggered, the woman kept on walking, with Jackie just to her left... The woman turned back, then yelled to her soldiers in the trenches "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, MY BRETHREN?! CHARGE! CHARGE THIS MEWLING BAND OF SO-CALLED 'HUNTERS' AND SHOW THEM WHAT TRUE STRENGTH IS!"

The Cadians roared a raucous battle cry, jumping from their trenches and engaging in Marching Fire... The retreating False Imperials began to flee in a disorganized route... And one of the two remaining Halftracks, one with a 20mm cannon in a turret, opened fire. Some Guardsmen fell, others got wounded, but all just continued to advance... A Las-Cannon blew the inside out of the 20mm Halftrack with a single shot... Elaine continued, another round pinging her shoulder armor, nearly going through "LOOK AT THEM! SO USED TO HUNTING THOSE UNABLE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES THAT THEY FORGOT WHAT A _TRUE _FOE IS LIKE!"

To the cheers of Cadians... And even some Darcsen Irregulars, she kicked a man that was already on the floor in the head, before finishing him off with one Las-Pistol shot and further ranting "COWARDS, THE LOT OF THEM!" as she reloaded her Las Pistol. She turned to Jackie, who seemed to stare in surprise, before adding "THE PEOPLE WE DEFEND ARE THE TRUE COURAGEOUS ONES! LOOK AT THE WOMAN BESIDE ME, YOU FALSE IMPERIAL _DOGS, _AND WEEP WHEN YOU SEE HER COMING TOWARD YOU WITH UNTAMED FURY IN HER EYES! LOOK AT THE DARCSEN STILL HERE, STANDING AGAINST YOU AND PRAY TO YOUR FALSE GODS FOR MERCY! FOR THE GUARD AND THESE FREE MEN AND WOMEN WILL HAVE _NONE!" _

_"AVE IMPERATOR!" _The Guard cheered... And the Darcsen Irregulars echoed it, more silently.

"TO HELL WITH THEIR RELIGION!" She cried again, another round scratching the right side of her neck, but not causing major damage. She fired her Pistol at a Sniper, sending the soldier tumbling to the floor. "TO HELL WITH THEIR SO-CALLED GODS! THERE IS ONLY ONE TO RULE THEM ALL! THE EMPEROR BLESSED US TO FIGHT AGAIN HERE, BROTHERS AND SISTERS! WASTE NOT THE OPPORTUNITY AND SHOW HIM HE SPARED US RIGHTLY!"

"AND TO THE DARCSENS, STAND FAST!" She yelled, punching another main in the face as he emerged from a hastily-dug foxhole with a knife in hand. She kicked him back down into the hole and fired twice into the man's head, before addressing the Darcsens again "YOU ARE A FREE PEOPLE! LOSE YOUR CHAINS AND FIGHT, FOR IF YOU DO, YOU ARE TO US AS WE ARE TO EACH-OTHER! BONDED TOGETHER UNDER THE LIGHT OF HIM ON TERRA!"

"_AVE IMPERATOR!" _The Cadians cried again and the Darcsens echoed it, louder... Jackie included as she racked the bolt of her rifle, firing once more into the crowd of fleeing Darcsen Hunters, hatred and pride burning in her eyes.

"Into the Fires of Hell, girls!" Jackie declared to her Darcsen Compatriots "SEND THESE FALSE BASTARDS INTO THE DEEPEST PITS OF HELL!"

"AVE IMPERATOR!" The girls returned, with the Cadians echoing it this time.

Jackie gave a tap on Elaine's armored shoulder, then said "Thank you..." with a smile. "For giving us hope again."

Elaine nodded. She felt a round ping her helmet, but she was lucky it was a ricochet... Taking the damn thing off as her ears were ringing, she glared at the Sniper who fired at her... She wanted to take the shot, but Jackie was first to fire a round, killing the bastard with a direct headshot. The last halftrack exploded in the far distance as Elaine, Jackie and their combined force advanced... The woman cued her mic, then said "Tell your artillery battalion to fire on the Imps, Gallian..."

The Darcsen lowered her rifle as she saw the Imperials running and Elaine raising her hand to stop her own platoon... The two girls nodded to each-other, both smiling... Until the whistle of artillery came from overhead... Jackie gasped, then slammed into Elaine, shoving her out of the way... A single shell blasted the position that Jackie was in... The girl landed in the snow five feet away, broken... Elaine gasped, her eyes wide, before running to Jackie's side and calling out "MEDICAE! MEDICAE!" as she posted herself beside the Darcsen woman...

... Not good. Multiple entry holes, shrapnel... Her legs were blasted to hell.

"You'll be fine..." Elaine lied, taking the woman's hand into her own...

Jackie chuckled, then coughed blood. "Yeah... As if..." giving Elaine a toothy, blood-soaked grin... "Hey... Elaine, right?"

"Mhm..." The woman said as the Medicae came in with a First Aid kit...

Jackie turned paler and paler by the second, but her grin withstood... With tears now falling onto the bloody snow. "I know we haven't known each-other for... That long... Barely a day and all, but..." she coughed again as her fellow comrades from the Irregular Corps joined her. "Could you do me a couple of favors?" She asked, raising her left hand and going for one of her pockets... Elaine simply gave a nod... She was handed two things... A toy made of tin and a bloody photo of a man and woman at a wedding... Oh, no...

"Could... You give the toy to my son? And... The photo to my husband?" The woman weakly asked, her voice cracking.

"You'll give these to them yourself..." Elaine comforted her. "Just save your strength..."

"I won't make it to the next hospital, Elaine... And they're in Fouzen... In an Imperial Concentration Camp, last I heard of them..." Jackie swallowed her own blood... "Please... I promise I'll pay back these favors in the afterlife..."

Elaine bit her upper lip... Her mouth felt dry... She sighed, then nodded, taking the toy and photo into her hand... She slid them in her pocket... Jackie started to go limp. Her eyes slowly closed and slowly, her pulse faded... Until it wasn't there anymore. Elaine sighed, placing Jackie's hands together in an Aquila shape, before placing her Rosarius into the woman's hands and praying for her safe passage...

She looked up at the Regular-held Hilltop position and pressed her lips together... That bastard did this on purpose... She looked over to Jackie's side and saw an old, rickety pistol... Grabbing it from the holster, the woman stood up and marched toward the hill. No Cadian or Darcsen stopped her... A squad of Cadians even joined up with her. The woman wore a glare that could kill tanks... Climbing up the hill, to the sight of the commander... The man had once had a smug grin before Elaine showed up... Now it all but vanished...

"L-Lieutenant, you're ali-" The man started... But before he could finish his sentence, a loud **_bang _**echoed across the valleys... With a hole drilled right between his eyes by the .45 ACP bullet of Jackie's pistol, the Gallian Regular officer collapsed onto the hardened mud. The barrel of the Gallian sidearm still smoldered. The woman swallowed spittle, then spoke, with a tone going from soft angry to absolutely butt-fuck pissed in the span of 3 seconds "... If any of you Gallian Regulars report this to your superiors, I _will personally make sure your entire REGIMENT IS PUT TO THE SWORD FOR ENDANGERING AN ALLIED UNIT!"_

_"**AM I CLEAR, YOU MONGRELS?!**" _She bellowed... And every Gallian Regular, still bug-eyed and unable to raise their rifles, nodded. The woman huffed, slinging the pistol into the back of her pants, before saying "Good... Good..." And walking away, toward the Chimeras. The Cadian escort to the Lieutenant, her own squad, joined her in walking back down... A burial service was done for Jacqueline in her home town... And the Irregulars had volunteered to join them on the way back to Fort Amaranthine. To join the Militia, perhaps...

Elaine would need to talk to the Colonel about a possible Corps made up of Darcsens...

Could help stifle inevitable losses and... Could aid in receiving reinforcement...


	12. Reality bent

The thunder of boots was not something Isara got used to easily... Doubly so since the soldiers before her were all around her age. She knew her squad had 12-year-old Susie among their ranks. Yet the deep hum of the Cadians' marching hymns, the rattle of their worn gear and the steeled, veteran's faces each so-called 'Teenager' and 'Child' wore brought ease to her soul. She knew that as long as the Cadian Regiment drew breath, they'd be safe. The roaring engine of the Baneblade, its treads grinding the concrete below nearly to dust, however, were another story...

She watched Matias step up and out from the vehicle as it ground to a halt, with the hymns sung in that ancient language of theirs... High Gothic... By the battalion of infantry present, continuing at a lower volume as she watched the Cadian Battalions reform and ready themselves. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and turned her head to see Matias. He nodded to her, holding her gaze. He smiled.

"Greetings, Isara." He nodded.

"Hello." She smiled back. "I take it you guys are following us into Kloden?"

"Yes, indeed. Captain Varrot was kind enough to share the information with us." Matt pulled his hand back. "We'll be assailing the bases one at a time. The Regiment will be deploying half its strength in vehicles and infantry to assist." He hummed, then turned his head toward the noise of hard metal thumps. Isara froze, watching as the squadron of two-legged war-machines moved forward. Bearing Aquilas on the front of their cabins and differing sets of heavy weapons, the Sentinel Scout Walkers of the Regiment strode forward, their commanders staring around out from their cupolas.

Matias gave the men a salute as they moved past and they returned it proudly.

"So..." he turned back to Isara. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." The girl answered. "You?"

"Just fine." He noted. "Care to join me for a walk?"

"Sure."

The duet of young soldiers walked through the city-sized fortress together as more of the Cadian Regiment moved in to prepare their gear. Matt was a surprisingly decent officer for his age. He led his men well and he must've known a bit about the Art of War. It didn't spare Isara that the boy was pretty cute too, but she figured he was an officer. He seemed to be gazing around the place, examining the Fort itself again. He finally turned to her and she immediately worked to suppress a deep blush, both averting his gaze and turning away.

Matt had _never _been one for the intricacies of courtship. In fact, one could say he was about as dumb as a brick when it came to stuff like this. Going by where Isara's gaze went, though, she was just looking at where her squad's vehicle was stored. She was probably worried about it. He swallowed, then turned his head to look forward. He slowly started "Soooo... Gallia is a beautiful country. I never much expected to serve on such a lush world."

The girl turned back toward him responding "Yes. Gallia is... Well, it is my home, so I am kind of biased toward it, but it is one of the most beautiful countries around. And it's fairly wonderful to live in, provided you get as lucky as I did as a Darcsen."

"Hmm... I still dislike that whole ordeal regarding your people." The Colonel mused, looking to her.

"It's not been proven scientifically that it had actually happened, so there's still hope things may change over time for us..." She rubbed her arm "But it doesn't help that my people aren't openly fighting against discrimination."

"... An old Imperial proverb states that Heresy grows from Idleness, Isara." Matias added "In my eyes, your people do need help, but they also need to be able to fight for their own rights. You are still human. If the only difference between you and the rest of mankind here is style of dress and the color of your eyes and hair, then that is just physical and cultural. People can adapt."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. There are people that do fight for us, Darcsen and non-Darcsen alike, but they're few and far between." She smiled sadly. "You met a couple of them while we were in Kloden. Matthew Siegfried and Ragna belong to the Siegfried Noble House of Gallia. They're reformists with a better view over Darcsens than most other Noble Houses and on a polar opposite view to houses such as the Gassenarls."

"Ah, yes, I remember Sergeant Siegfried and his friend. An odd pair, to be certain." He nodded "But I've also met his father. And as they saying goes, the apple never falls far from the tree. It's good to hear that some do fight for your people, though. It means our job will be easier as we further enlighten your people to our own beliefs."

Isara pressed her lips, then said "What will you do if not many are as accepting of it as you hope?"

"I have Colin with me. He's been taught and has mastered the art of propaganda. He can preach the Imperial Faith too. Nowhere near as good as one of our missionaries, but he knows enough." Matt smiled. "Sweet-talking usually solves a lot of problems. But I can say with an honest heart what the Faith preaches is true. As legends tell, the Emperor came to us as a savior, dragged us out of centuries of self-destruction and rallied us to reach for the stars. He brought mankind from an incredible state of stagnation and death and built an Imperium that spans today's Galaxy... If only his own sons wouldn't have betrayed him." And he paused, then hummed and said "Uhm... Long story." as he looked to the confused girl. "I'd be happy to tell it to you some time."

"I'd love to hear more about your people's religion." She smiled.

By the Emperor's own kindness, she was cute. Matt tried to suppress a blush too and nearly failed, before a girl walked up to them. Long, violet hair draped over her shoulders and lilac eyes stared at both of them. In her hand, she held what looked like a book meant for recreation, a horror one at that. She had on her a shoal similar to Isara's own, with even the same color and markings, though longer. On her belt, visible through the side, was a bayonet and a set of throwing knives... Her eyes wide, the young woman quickly snapped a salute to the man, blushing, then said "Sir! A-Are you Colonel Telos?"

The man looked to Isara, then to the woman and saluted "Yes. At ease...? Do... Do I know you?"

"I... I am corporal Yuri, sir. Fresh join in the ranks of the Militia and from the Darcsen town that your forces protected, the one in the Diebal mountains... My mother was part of the defense while I kept my brother safe. As she and her mother before her, I had military training as per accordance to Gallia's own rules." She presented herself calmly. "I... I wished to thank you and your soldiers personally for the defense and... I... I wish to offer myself to join one of your squads, i-if... If possible."

She seemed shy and a bit uneasy, speaking to an offworlder... As was normal, to be fair... The soldier raised a brow, then crossed his arms and said "A pleasure to meet someone from the town Elaine helped defend... Forgive me, but I am going to be blunt and to the point with my questions. Why wouldn't you join a local Militia squad? And why would I allow anyone from the outside to join the ranks of my own?"

"S-Sir... Not many people have use for a Darcsen Fencer in their units... A-And almost all of the squads were full, s-so..." She was fiddling with a bit of her long hair as she spoke. "I thought that... Perhaps I could be allowed to join the First Youth as a volunteer? M-Maybe even a mediator to Darcsen everywhere. Many of our people are already spreading the news of the Cadians, protectors of our kin, so..."

"That answers one of my questions, corporal, but I must say. A mediator between us and the Darcsen could be of use. We are trying to establish ourselves as friends to your people..." He hummed. The Colonel spoke. He sadly had to admit to himself, most of that was out of spite for that Heretical belief of Yggdism. He wasn't even sure the Darcsen had a religion. He sighed, then continued "But again. I'm not sure my soldiers would welcome outsiders this quickly. I'll have a talk with all of them at a later date, but for now..." He and Isara tried to step aside, but Yuri followed.

"P-Please!" She begged, looking him in the eye. She turned to Isara and spoke "Y-You're Lieutenant Gunther's sister... Please, help me, I..."

"Why is it you want to join the Cadians exactly, Yuri?" Isara offered, more keen on listening than Matt. She shot him a glance that told him she had this. "I understand a desire to meet those who saved your people, but what else?"

"I wish to repay them in kind. As a Fencer, I fight very close quarters." She explained, revealing the blade under her shoal was a well-made shortsword. And her armor plating... Dear Emperor... "My weapons of choice are knives and swords and my body armor is much stronger than that of others, so I can take more bullets than most others. And the flak jacket I wear, I made myself, for the sake of blocking shrapnel from high-yield explosives... I, too, worked in the Ragnite mines, so I know how dangerous stone and metal shards travelling at high speeds can be."

"You are offering yourself to be a _meat shield_, Corporal?" Matt said, his face morphed into shock. "... I appreciate the braveness, but this borders on suicide, you know that, correct?"

"Yessir..." She nodded, still fiddling with her hair... She, however, held a more determined gaze by the second.

Matt watched the girl stare him down. She had guts, he had to admit, but someone who seemed so educated asking to go as the suicidal front-liner melee unit. He appreciated a good melee, but only on the odds that he had a chance of winning. He wasn't there to take bullets and nor were any of his soldiers... Although, war did have its risks... With a deep sigh that showed defeat, the boy looked to Yuri and spoke with a voice of steel "Corporal, you may be one of the bravest Gallians I've yet seen and that speaks volumes of how determined your people are. But I'm not looking for people with a death wish."

Yuri's gaze fell, her face turned gloomy and her shoulders sagged. "Oh..."

"However..." Matt smirked, looking to a stunned Isara, then back to Yuri. "I can appreciate anyone who knows the finer arts of wielding the blade in a melee. And your armor definitely looks survivable, sans the lack of a helmet. I do believe I have just the squad for you, though I should warn you, all 3 of them are... A little more than you'd expect out of a bunch of kids hell-bent on killing False Imperials."

The girl's eyes lit up. He handed her a paper-more specifically, a transfer order, then said calmly "You should find them near by the line of tanks just near the entryway. Welcome to the Regiment, Trooper... And remember, read your Scriptures and learn of the good word of the Emperor. Continue your studies and learn to work with those around you, even as they are. Every lonely spirit doubts their strength."

She slowly took the paper into her grip, then looked at it, smiled... And promptly gave Matt a salute. She dashed off toward the tanks, vanishing behind the sheds. Matt shook his head, then turned to Isara and said "Your people are asking to join us... I'm not sure if I should be joyous or worried, but I worry little. I've assigned her to a squad that should be one of our most welcoming... And lacking in members, dishearteningly."

"Oh?" Isara raised a brow.

"Yes, it's... Uh..." He paused, his eyes widening "Oh... I forgot that the leader is our only sanctioned Psyker... Throne, I hope she won't try to unexist the poor girl. That'd be a bad move... Then again, considering the corporal seemed keen on reading and our psyker does dabble in writing every so often, maybe they'll get along?"

"Uhm... Matt? Who is this squad made up of?" Isara asked, worried just by seeing the Colonel worried... What could be so bad? And what was a Psyker?

"... It's a squad formed of my closest childhood friend, her Psyker friend and a very... _Eccentric _girl. She's not exactly good with warming up quick to new people, but give her enough time and she will be." He rubbed the back of his neck "Misfits if I've ever seen them, but they're all fairly kind." And he pointed toward the vehicles, before stating "We should probably go ahead and ready up... We'll be stopping by Kasr Creed to pick up three Basilisks that were undergoing maintenance, then I will help make up a plan of action against the False Imperial supply bases as we go..."

"Fair." Isara nodded "I should probably go bring the Edelweiss out for that, then..." And she offered him another meek, red-cheeked smile "Be seeing you around?"

Matt nodded "Most certainly, Is." And he smiled back... God-Emperor please stahp. Too cute...

The man returned to the regiment, only to meet Colin halfway across, before asking "Is everyone prepared?" as his Commissar friend arranged his coat, holster and sword sheath. The Commissar nodded, then looked to him. Matt turned his gaze and wanted to ask what the issue was, before the paper was thrust into his hand. The one he gave Yuri. He pursed his lips...

... But Colin seemed calm. He spoke "A smart choice, Colonel... And a good PR move with the Darcsen. I will make sure to have a talk to the rest of the regiment about it, but for now, do not be surprised to hear some disgruntled voices." before noting "Be wary our Kasrkin commander may be giving tips to Saoirse about making new friends. Should I deal with that?"

"... I think we'll be fine for now, Colin." He smirked.

... And yet, he had prophetically not expected what would come next...

As he and Isara walked through in front of the trenches, casemates and bunkers of Kasr Creed, the young man was enumerating supplies... "... 7,92 Autogun drums?"

"Check." Isara noted, looking at the ticked item on her clipboard. She stared at the tall walls and the bunker with a machine gun in the slit, before noting "Wow... You guys adapted a lot of stuff."

"She's still under construction, but when she's done... Kasr Creed will be the most impenetrable fort on your planet." Matt stated proudly... Oh, Emperor, he had just jinxed it, did he not? "Anyways, the fact of the matter is that this is where we will sleep, eat and stay. So yes, we're working to make it as strong as possible..." And he just now noticed the wide eyes, disbelieving stare and open mouth. He raised a brow and followed her gaze...

... Posing in the middle, just in front of a trench was _the squad. _The four girls of the team struck poses while the reporter, Irene, took photos of them, with Kasr Creed as the backdrop of this little photoshoot. A girl with light orange hair and a red bow on top of her head, as well as Kasrkin gear, struck a smiling pose, leaning forward, both hands close like she was screaming of joy. A Psyker, clad in her standard uniform, Imperial purity seals, Servo-Skull Scribe helper with Iron Halo, Inquisition symbols and even the staff present and with open, welcoming arms. Her hair was brown ,tied with a white bow and held by one of the Purity seals. Yuri was next, holding a pose, looking slightly confused and showing her weapons, sword included... And finally, a girl with bright, _eye-killing _pink hair in pigtails held an 'arms on hip, right leg forward' pose...

"... oh..." Matt paused. "Hey, Colin!?"

"Yes?" He heard a voice call from within the MG bunker.

"Who let the reporter woman get close enough to us to take photos of the Roughnecks?!" He blared.

"That would be me, sir. Propaganda for the Gallians and what-have-you." Colin noted, a small, tiny, almost insignificant and unnoticeable smirk on his face as he leaned out of the gun slit. "To show cooperation between us and them, with a Gallian added into the mix. Monyka was more than glad to let her little literature and monster hunting squad be photographed and Nat was... As is natural... Not keen on it. Saoirse, though, by the Emperor..."

"..." Matt sighed, bowing his head.

"That's perfect, girls! Thanks! Oh, this'll go great on the Wall!" The reporter woman smiled, giving them a thumbs up. "You're free to relax now! I'll go get these printed after I get some more pictures of the battle in Kloden!"

"No problem, miss Ellet!" The Psyker nodded, leaning her staff on her shoulder. "And nicely done, Yuri. Welcome to the Club."

Yuri smiled "T-Thank you, Monyka."

"Yeah! You were awesome!" The orange-haired, blue-eyed and cute Kasrkin flaunted a peppy smile.

"Hmph." The pink-haired one nodded "Not bad, newbie." before looking to Matt. She murmured "Oooh, sh... Monyka, the Colonel's here." and that caused the other 3 to turn and greet their young officer. The orange-haired one waved happily at Matt, while the pink-haired one simply slid her helmet back onto her head. Monyka smiled too, then saluted.

"Colonel." She walked up to him. "Thank you for the new member."

"My pleasure, good Psyker." He nodded, then waved back to the kasrkin "I see Saoirse is still as peppy as ever."

"No wonder. She had a double serving of some sort of Gallian chocolate miss Ellet brought in as a gift for us." The Psyker stated promptly, stabbing her staff into the ground. She then bowed to Isara and spoke welcomingly "And hello to you as well. I take it you're Matias's friend." before standing up straight... Isara was still unsure of what to say, fumbling with words every so often, but not forming a coherent sentence.

... Matt sighed then asked "I take it Nat's taking the new girl in too?" and, after receiving a nod, ordered "Alright, let's pack up and go. I'll be joining the Gallian officer corps on one of their Halftracks, to communicate our planned offensive. we're also only leaving a Skeleton crew to run Kasr Creed. This is gonna be a wholesale, full regimental offensive."

"Perfect for us." Nat said, grabbing her Lasgun off her back.

"That... It is." Monyka's own creepy smile made it sappearance. "Be seeing ya around, Matt."

"Mhm." Matt nodded, dragging Isara by the collar as they left. He yelled out to Yuri "Good luck, ms. Yuri... And welcome to the Cadian First Youth..." Before he turned his head toward the Lascannon on a tripod in a nest of sandbags, to see something carved into the steel plating that acted as the shield for the Guardsmen manning it... 'Wait 4 Flash, Smile!'... Ah, classing Dark Humor of the Cadian variety...

... Why did he have a feeling he'd just made the craziest squad in his unit by adding Yuri into that mix...?


	13. Kloden Part 1:Here We Go Again

The 21 vehicles of the Imperial Guard, a series of 3 Basilisks, ten Leman Russes and 7 Chimeras led the convoy of almost 100 Allied vehicles, with the Baneblade of the Colonel at the forefron. Amy and her Kasrkin were, however, hanging off the side of the Superheavy, Hellguns and heavy weapons trained on the surrounding forest. Alicia, meanwhile, sat aboard one of the standard Gallian halftracks, checking her own weapon.

"... So anyways, these Cadian kids seem cool." Edy explained to the blonde-haired boy, Homer Peron. She continued "Wonder if they'll like to hear me sing some day."

Rosie snorted. Edy glared at her. All was normal. Alicia smiled as she slid a new clip of ammunition into her rifle, before she set it aside and stretched. The wind rustled the leafs around them, mingling with the sound of the engines of Cadian Vehicles. A bird landed on top of the Halftrack's side and Alicia looked up at the colorful creature, holding the smile... And then it left, chirping as if in warning.

Marina hummed, her eyes trained directly at their left. She stood up, with her rifle in hand, leaned forward and looked through the scope. Rosie spoke "What's wrong, hotshot?" staring up at the deadly assassin... Marina went bug-eyed, crying out "INCOMING!" as she let out a shot from her rifle. An anti-tank rocket screamed overhead, forcing the sniper to duck into cover just before it struck a tree behind them.

"OUT! OUT! OUT!" Alicia cried to her comrades, grabbing her rifle jumping over the side of the Halftrack and diving into a ditch on the side of the dirt road. A Gallian carrying a wireless on his back joined with them in the ditch and Alicia was quick to grab the transmitter and yell "AMBUSH! We got enemy AT units firing at us from the north!" and racking the bolt of her rifle.

Marina scoped in another target. Her aim once again sent an enemy to the cold dirt below. Two Cadians dropped into cover too. One of them was that orange-haired girl Isara had told Alicia about... The girl mounted the standard Kasrkin Hellgun onto the side of the hill, before eyeing down the scope. Her eyes were steely, her gaze unflinching and for such a cute and happy girl, she had turned serious rather quick. Her Hellgun whirred to life, before hissing as the first burst of energy weapon fire lanced forth, glancing a tree trunk and burning through an Imperial infantryman.

Nat, the smaller pink-haired soldier, was quick to join the other one, raising her own Carbine and opening fire. She held a contemptuous grin as she let loose her Lasgun's burning hellfire. A beam cut down an Imp before he even got to step out of the bushes. Soon, the False Imps closed distance and small-arms fire could be heard. The roar of a main Leman Russ cannon later and a chunk of forest, as well as a False Imp rocket team, disappeared.

Alicia raised her own rifle, finally able to see the enemy, before she opened fire. Two shots left the barrel and both struck an Imp. One pierced through the cuirass with a sick crunch that sent the Imp on the floor, dead. She looked to Homer as he was distributing more ammo, then said "I've got enough, Homer! Go to whoever else needs it!" and she got a nod from the kid. He kept his head down, advancing with the ammo box...

The woman watched Yuri come out of a Cadian Chimera, ducking into cover just as a rocket struck and _destroyed _a Chimera. The Gallian Sergeant flinched, watching the burning vehicle being ditched by its crew. A second Chimera in front of it turned after deploying all of its troops and pushed the vic into an empty part of the irrigation ditch, before turning its Autocannon to greet the enemy...

"First mission in and we get ambushed..." Yuri murmured, drawing her sword and a 9mm Handgun she had on hand.

Nat giggled, then said "Welcome to the baptism by fire, gal!" As she head-shotted two Imp soldiers

Yuri nodded "Happy to be here..." before standing up and pulling out three of her throwing knives. With precision and grace, the teenager threw one knife, only to strike an Imp just above the cuirass, in the unarmored throat, sending him to the floor. A second knife entered the knee of another, when Yuri finished him with a handgun headshot and the third knife spun through the air, nailing a third Imperial right between the eyes. Yuri then raised the pistol again and fired two more shots, jumping into cover with the girls seconds after.

Nat grinned "Not bad, not bad."

Monyka dove into cover with them too, looking toward Yuri. She acknowledged their new comrades' act with a smile and a nod, before looking past her... Marina dashed into position next to them and fired a snap-shot that detonated an Imperial's AT Grenade in his hand, engulfing both him and two Shock Troopers beside him in a nasty explosion. She then aimed and shot at a rocket team. The launcher's muzzle dipped, its operator with a bullet in the left eye socket collapsing. His fingers twitched and the rocket in the long tube launched, embedding itself in the ground and exploding.

The woman then pulled a fresh three-round stripper clip from her pouch, racking the bolt back and loading the rifle, before she fed the first round of AP into the chamber. She shouldered the weapon again and another False Imp, this one an officer in red armor, spun as he fell to the ground. Marina then stood up from her position, before surging forth just as a Counter-Sniper tried to take her head clean off.

The female sniper skidded to a halt just above the four girls, all of whom stared with wide eyes at the Gallian. She shot once and the False Imp Sniper fell dead where he stood. She looked toward the girls, then nodded, before stepping off, all under their watchful gazes. Nat pursed her lips, then said "Okay... Gallians can actually fight decently..."

"Ya kidding?" Saoirse smiled "She was awesome!"

"Very good shot. Half thought she was a Vindicare for a moment." Monyka noted.

"That's Marina Wulfstan." Yuri noted, eyes wide. "I read books about her father and his actions during the First Europan War... She's every bit like her father..."

"The Wolf shows her Fangs, as the saying goes." Monyka noted, before looking overhead. Two squads of Cadian Kasrkin made it into the enemy's side of the forest. She nodded to her team, then said "Okay, everyone! Looks like it's time to counterattack!" with her usual trademark smile. She stood up as her eyes glimmered with emerald psychic energy.

"Alright!" Nat grinned, fixing a bayonet as she stood to her feet. She then leaned toward Yuri, extending a hand to the newly-acquired member of the team. Yuri took it and found herself pulled to her feet by the surprisingly strong young Cadian. With a fist bump in Yuri's chest, Nat said "I got your back if you got mine, New Gal! Don't you slack off, ya hear?"

"Got it." The Fencer responded promptly, drawing her sword and pistol.

"Heck yeah..." Saoirse readied her Hellgun.

"Uh... Why is she grinning?" Yuri asked, worried.

"Oh, so we just chill... Ya got them, Sai?" Nat smirked. The weapon whirred to life as an answer, just as the young lady slid her helmet, goggles and mask onto her head. Nat shrugged "A'ight, go get'em." before watching the young Kasrkin join her fellows in striking fear into the enemy. She moved with incredible vigor for someone so loaded up with equipment. Her Hellgun hollered like a banshee as she fired ,enough to make Yuri cringe and cover her ears.

"What the heck!?" Yuri yelled

"Ah, yes, I forgot Sai has _that _issue with her Hellgun..." Monyka noted, then turned to Nat and asked "Hasn't she said she was gonna go get it fixed today or something?" as the screams of Imperial Shock Troops echoed in front of them. Yuri stared on with bugging eyes at the slaughter that the young tangerine-haired Kasrkin was so gleefully taking part in.

Nat shrugged "I think the Techpriests refused to fix it... Don't know why."

"Huh..." Monyka cupped her own chin and furrowed her brows "Curious."

Yuri stared at them with disbelief, before calling out "ARE WE NOT THE LEAST BIT CONCERNED SHE JUST _BROKE OFF AND IS ENGAGING A PLATOON ALONE?!" _

Nat looked to their new gal and said "Huh, right... Ya don't know Sai that well..." as the Hellgunner continued her assault, much to the chagrin of even the Gallians present beside them. "Here's the thing, New Gal. Sai can kinda be a one-girl death squad when she wants to. Especially if there's Daemons abound. And right now, she's just fond of showing off what she can do in case Colonel 'Childhood Friendship' over yonder decides to take notice." And she tilted her head toward the Baneblade.

"... Oh...?" Yuri paused.

"It's a running bet in the Regiment, to see who will incur Saoirse's wrath first. Our good, dense Colonel or some other poor sod trying to talk to her." Monyka shrugged. "Doesn't help she has some sort of problems with her mind that I cannot for the life of me pinpoint." And it sure as hell didn't help she was deppressive to top it all off. A Cadian Soldier that more fit a Krieg description, if not for that overjoyed, hyperactive persona she was putting up.

"Jeez..." Rosie said, approaching the girls. "Your friend's lost it."

"Nah, standard Kasrkin for ya." Pinkie Nat shrugged as Sai drop-kicked an Imp and then dumped more Hellgun rounds into him. "Seriously, there's two of you now worried for the well-being of someone I and Monyka know well."

The Hellgun of the girl screamed again as she raked the treeline, a cordial smile on her face as she lit up the False Imps. Gallian squads joined in to support, among which five Shock Troopers from the Sevens, one of them with an awfully genocidal grin on her face. And as the other Kasrkin finally made their way to her, the Hellgunner had got the last few shots in on a retreating squad. She lowered her Hellgun, then looked to Amy.

"Nice shootin', as usual, Sai." The Major leading the Kasrkin Corps gave her friend a nod and a punch in the shoulder.

"Thanks, ma'am." She responded, holding the smile.

... As the sound of gunfire died down and completely vanished, the screams of the wounded finally came. The Medical teams from both the Militia and Cadians had begun their work under the worried gazes of the soldiers, comrades to those hurt or killed. Two Chimera transports were taken out of action and a sponson from one of the Leman Russes had its Bolter mount destroyed.

The wounded were loaded into a still-working Chimera and the vics damaged by the assault were being hurriedly patched up to be sent back to the Kasr for prim and proper repairs. The Gallians had lost 5 Halftracks, two of which were hit by AT Rockets before they could offload their troop of 12 each. 30 Gallians had died in vehicles. 40 Cadians had suffered a similar fate within the Chimeras, their burned corpses being buried with the dog tags on the side of the road. They were stripped of kit and left only in their uniforms.

Alicia had watched the processions unfold. One of the dead had been a Commissar Cadet, a girl that was probably around 14 years old. All of the Cadians had been given a proper procession and burial, with prayers from an Imperial Scripture Book. The Gallians followed. She now sat aboard their old Halftrack, watching idly as the Convoy rolled on ahead. Their objective was to reach a local village and set up a FOB there, before assaulting the base tomorrow. The girl listened in on the Wireless chatter.

"_... All other Regimental elements have reached their target areas without incident. Step-off will be tomorrow at dawn." _Matias spoke through radio, his voice steely, emotionless. _"Unlucky day, today."_

_"Aye. Was pretty nasty..." _One of the Tank Commanders responded. "_We'll make'em pay with blood, Colonel, don't worry."_

_"I know we will, Captain. Keep your eyes open." _

_"Wilco..."_

"That was a shitshow..." The Shock Trooper that had so gleefully joined Sai on the front line said, checking her ammo. Her voice was gruff, harsh. Jane Turner, Alicia recalled now. Hated Imps with a burning passion.

"Yeah." The other girl, one wearing a beanie and with black stripes painted on her cheeks, answered calmly, looking over her grenades. She gleefully added "I hear we brought artillery with us." as she held a grin.

"Cadians did." Jane said, looking to her fellow Shocker. "Big sticks, 132mm."

"Hehehe... Sweet~." Cheslock smiled. Alicia had to remember the girl had a proclivity for explosive ordinance. Both using and _making _it. As the Convoy reached the supposed village they were supposed to use as a FOB, they saw Civilians coming out to greet them, waving to them with smiles. Some kids cheered on the advancing army as its vehicles entered the town. Awestruck was a perfect word to describe the kids that had walked out. The parents too.

The most striking thing must've been, of course, the Baneblade and its escort of Leman Russes. As the troops began to disembark, Matt heard some younger boys commenting on the super-heavy vehicle and saw them smiling. He nodded to them, before walking to meet Captain Varrot and the other officers. He nodded to all of them, then said "So, we're at our step-off point and all other Regimental units have reached their own positions. We'll have Artillery set up to begin bombarding the enemy by tomorrow, early in the morning."

"That is good to hear, Colonel." Varrot noted. "We'll have our squads deploying to assist in the assaults on the bases. Squad 7 will take the one just due east of this RV point."

"I'll be deploying one of my own units to assist them while we deal with any sort of response force the False Imperials will send our way." He answered, arranging his own webbing. He added "But for now, I may need to catch some sleep... Today's been strange." before turning and leaving. Varrot turned to Welkin, then to the others and let out a sigh. The Colonel had just lost 40 of his own thanks to lackluster scouting. It always hit hard when your own went under...

And Matt had to take some time to process it. He sat himself down by a house and watched the winding road that led out east into the forest. He looked over his own carapace armor plating... Scarred, battered, riddled with damage from all directions. This damned suit of armor got him through Cadia and through the first day here. He had to admit, he was glad he was alive...

... But that left many unaccounted for.

Removing the list of names from his pocket, he merely unfurled the bottom part of this elongated parchment that had all of the Regiment's soldiers named on it. The regiment had counted 20,000 plus before the destruction of Cadia took place. They'd come here with 5,000 and about 40% of their vehicles. Imperial orders decreed that after the third month, they'd have to stop searching for survivors... He prayed that the others were still alive and that they'd soon meet again, but so far, no luck... They had been hard pressed into combat after the bastard False Imperials opened fire... And now 40 more joined the dead on that list...

"Hey, Colonel, sir!" He heard a happy voice speak up, sliding the list out of sight, before looking up... He smirked.

His old childhood friend stood above him, her usual smile on her face.

"Hey, Sai. What got into you, sneaking up like that." He quipped. And how the hell did she manage to sneak up to him. She was wearing full Kasrkin kit.

"Just came to check up on my best pal." She answered, sitting herself down. "Sooo... This planet's pretty cool."

He snorted, then shook his head. Ah, Saoirse, never change. "It is, yeah."

She turned to him, smile withstanding, but asked in a more serious voice "How're you holding up, Matt? Things got really rough back there."

"I'm okay, Sai." He hummed, looking forward again, now in deep thought "We did lose a lot... Both on the way here and on Cadia. I'm just worried."

Sai leaned forward, smiling still, then said "I get that. Well, not to the degree ya do, since I'm no Colonel, but I'm sure ya got this. You sure did have it all together in basic." And she patted him on the back "So, c'mon. Stop sagging. Girls don't like guys like that." before winking. "I mean, Monyka could look at it as a sign of weakness and kick you out of our little club."

He burst into a chuckle "I never agreed to join that damn club of yours in Basic, girls..." And he stood up. "C'mon, ya dummy. I have to go actually get some rest and you need to go back to the squad." before the two walked off. The soldier wandered off after bidding goodbye to his old friend for now... What he didn't realize was, however, that Isara had been watching from behind their tank. She wondered if they were... No, she shook that thought out of her head, blushing, before walking off.

... Not good to wonder now...


	14. Kloden Part 2:The Bear Wakes

Matt was sat down near by the outskirts of the town, awaiting for everyone to be ready before they began their assault. He looked over his own kit again and for a final time. He hummed a tune of Cadian cadences. The sound of footsteps sent him into alert mode. He lifted his gaze, only to be met by the sight of a fair young blonde wearing what looked like local attire. Behind her were about a dozen other girls, both Darcsen and non-Darcsen. Some were giggling, others blushing...

He hummed, confused by the sudden arrival of the girls. He looked to the one that came up to him, who was blushing, before asking "Something I can do for you, ladies?"

"Uh... Hi..." She nodded "A-Are you one of those Cadian boys we've been hearin' about?"

Furrowing his brow, he nodded "Yes, I'm actually the Colonel commanding the regiment... Why?"

"Oh, well, uh..." She smiled awkwardly, trying to avoid eye contact and rubbing the back of her neck "Was wonderin'. Hehe... I heard from a friend over in Vasel that you guys and gals helped our Militia liberate the city." And the clear country/forest bumpkin accent was seeping through. And, well, she did mention y'all are pretty cute. Guess I wanted to see it for myself... Uh..." And she turned to her friends, mouthing a 'HELP ME' while they giggled on.

"... Thanks...?" The Colonel hummed, confused. He watched another girl bring forward a tray of food, handing it to her friend, before backing off. The girl extended the tray of food, what looked like some sort of pie made from grain-based dough and venison meet, probably from one of the hunts they had recently and he stared at it with a combination of surprise and gratitude... "Uhm... Thanks?"

"Please, take it. It's a sorta thank you for y'all foreigners, for fighting for us..." She held that awkward smile, still avoiding eye contact. The Colonel took it slowly, before setting it down to his left. The Colonel had to wonder what he was missing as the girls watched on... He pressed his lips together, then said "Alright, I think I'll, uh... Just go help my soldiers prep... Thanks again."

"Sure thing!" She nodded. "Be seein' ya~!" And she gave him a wink, before she stepped off. The Colonel walked with the tray toward the Baneblade, looking back at the group of girls as they talked and giggled. The blondie turned toward him again, before ducking into cover. He set the tray onto the side of the tank, then looked to Colin, who was scratching his chin over the witnessed encounter, while Amy was giggling like a loony.

"... Any idea what just happened?" He asked his Commissar.

"I do believe that was teenage gratitude with a side of..." Colin started, before noticing Isara behind the Squad 7 tank, pouting after seeing the exchange. "... Uhm, nevermind." He finished, hiding a smirk behind his greatcoat's collar. He murmured, stepping off toward the giggling Amy "You really need to notice things yourself, Matias." and dragging the girl away by the collar. "Come, Kasrkin. Let's let the Colonel enjoy his breakfast."

"Wait, Colin, what did you... Colin... Oh, come on, Commissar! Don't leave me hanging like that!" Matt begged, watching as the officer stepped off. "Amy! C'mon, give me a hint here!" He asked his comrade. The Kasrkin major shook her head, bursting into a full-on cackle. He sighed , then shook his head. He whispered to himself "What's got into those two?" before he took out his fork from the mess kit on his hip and dipped it into the pie.

He tasted it, then shrugged "Huh. Good." before putting the tray aside into a special compartment.

He heard a snort, then turned his head to see Rosie. "Ah, Corporal Stark..." He murmured. "To what do I owe the... Should I call it pleasure?"

"Oh, nothin' much, Colonel. Was just passing through." She smirked, before stepping off. Weird woman... He paused as he heard running footsteps. He turned to the source of the noise, to see Elaine running toward him. The girl, breathing raggedly, stopped just in front of him, leaning forward and holding onto her side, panting and coughing. She looked up, a smile on her face.

"Colonel... Requesting a platoon of our best to reinforce mine. We've got newcomers..." She looked him in the eye, her face red.

... He knew when Elaine requested something like that, she meant business. He nodded, then said "Go pick 20 people and move out. Take a tank if you have to, but be careful." and he paused as he heard gunfire echo afar, down the road they were supposed to go. Elaine's forward scouts must've been engaging imp-**_CRACK_**. A loud thunder bellowed as more guns joined the symphony afar... Heavy guns...

"... By the Emperor. Move!" He ordered

Moments later, with a Chimera in tow, the woman and her platoon moved forward, Lasguns at the ready. The road ahead opened into a clearing, where muzzle flashes and the belch of flames lit the sky. Elaine stared forth from atop the Chimera, eyes wide as she watched them fight. Clad in black-colored armors decorated with golden fleur-de-lis and wielding weapon decorated with Purity Seals. Bright white hair waved in the breeze and the smell of cordite and Promethium filled the air. Their leader held in one hand a book, while with the other, she fired her Bolter.

Behind them all, a man in a robe wielded a longer Chainsword type. Slung under the grips of the weapon was also a Flamer and on his back was a shotgun. His webbing was laced with Imperial iconography and he had an Aquila necklace. He was kneeling, voicing a prayer in High Gothic as his escort chorused the words. Their voices angelic, their weapons, humanity's finest and their goal, the spreading of the Imperial Truth...

The Sisters of Battle and the young Missionary that they escorted held back a wave of False Imperial soldiers, presumably from one of their garrisons nearby. One of the Sisters, who wore a white cover on top of her head that hid heir golden locks, turned to greet the arriving Guardsmen. She smiled, then cried "Sisters, Holy Preacher! Our reinforcement is here!"

Cadian troopers disembarked from the armored vehicle, joining the defenders with lasguns wailing against the enemy invaders. Elaine looked to the elder woman of the Sisters, presumably their Canoness or the leader of the squad, in a less flashy outfit than she'd expected out of a woman who escorted their Missionaries. The Lieutenant bowed, then said "Your Holinesses... We are honored."

"Arise, my girl. 'Tis no time to show humility." The elder woman voiced, smiling "It is a pleasure to see the Cadians still fight. I take it you will explain where we are and who these pretenders and heretics are?"

"Of course. We'll take you to the Colonel to do that." Elaine answered, straightening up. She turned her Lasgun to the False Imperials in the forest, before adding "But before that, let us waste these False Imperials." with renewed Zeal.

"Indeed." The Sister smiled. "Sisters, we've our allies! Stem the tide of these HERETICS!"

"_Ave Imperator!" _They bellowed in unison. Their bolters roared even more ferociously and their duet of Flamers burned with righteous fury. The screams of those damned to be hit by these weapons were drowned by the roars of gunfire. The Sisters maintained their defensive formation as the Imperial Missionary finished his prayers. Any who were smart enough had long left before the guns really started firing... Others were but cinder and ash now.

The leading Sister holstered her bolter on her back, before raising her hand with a balled fist. And just as she did, her fellows ceased their fire. She looked over the result of their slaughter and, content with how it turned out, looked to Elaine and said "You may lead us to your Colonel, my girl." with a warm smile. She looked to their Missionary, who had stood up and given a nod of thanks to the women.

... Back with the Cadians, the Colonel looked toward the road, hand wrapped around the grip of his pistol. Every other Cadian was on-edge, rifle in hand or manning something that had ammo and was ready to kill. Matt fiddled with his own golden Aquila necklace. The bird with its wings open and talons out. The Gallians had been asked to hold back just in case... He was afraid of the enemy having gotten heavy weapons, but Elaine seemed ecstatic... He still was worried...

... But his fear was replaced with fervent, Imperial joy as he saw the Cadians and whom they were escorting. The soldiers of the Imperium went bug-eyed, before many of them fell to their knees at the sight of the Adepta Sororitas. The Sisters of Battle, those who protected the believers in the Imperial Truth. They were those that had fired. Those who were fighting. And with them, a Missionary of the Emperor's holy word...

... The tide churned ever forward...

**_Within the Atlantic Federation's Northern Island Outposts_**

Watching as snow began to fall on the Edinburgh Kingdom's northern isles from within the Royal Navy's forward operations base, a young woman with pure white hair and scarlet eyes leaned against a wall. Clad in almost entirely a white uniform resembling an old Officer's outfit, including the gold-lined shirt with two rows of buttons and the tall peaked cap of a long-lost Army's officer corps. In her right hand was a cane with a Ragnite snowflake at the top and on her hips, a revolver in a black leather holster and a cutlass in a sheath, both attached to a set of black leather belts...

She held onto the long, fur-covered coat on her back with her left hand as the wind blew. The dark clouds in the sky shifted as the gusts intensified... The faraway drum of naval artillery, many kilometers away, echoed like the thunder of a storm in the woman's ears. She wondered what ships had the Edinburgh's navy encountered this time? Was it the _Grozny_? The _Grand Admiral Konstantin_? Or some other ship, now renamed to some perversion of its former self? Perhaps a fleet?

She squelched the saddening thoughts. Her homeland was gone. Her Emperor was gone. The man she'd fought to defend had died on his throne, a sword in hand in 1920. Only his children, she and her Regiment remained as a reminder of what the Great Empire had once been. Sighing, the tired General gazed outward into the troubled seas, hand gripping her famed cane loosely as she leaned onto it.

"Comrade General!" A voice called out. A young woman that was running toward her. "Comrade General! I have news from Gallia!" That same young woman called again... The General's gaze swept over toward the young officer. Clad in a white fur coat, a white shirt and a white peaked cap, with dark-blue eyes and short blue hair, the young Darcsen Lieutenant brought a hand up in salute after stopping. The General saluted back.

"At ease, Lieutenant." She spoke in a thick, hardy Eastern accent. "What have you got for me?"

The Lieutenant straightened up, her face red from the strain. She must've run across the base to find her, the General figured. The Lieutenant took one big gulp of air, before she started reporting "Gallian infantry has reported contact with unknown elements almost a month ago. Since, those unknown elements, called Cadians in their reports, have begun engaging alongside the Gallians in staving off the Imperial invasion... It appears as though their vehicles, although they look as old as those we built during the Great War, respond as well as modern weapons. Even better."

"A foreign army?" The General raised a brow. "Huh... How are they fighting?"

"As far as early reports from the liberation of Vasel are saying, comrade General... _Fiercely._" The woman spoke, before swallowing empty. "I heard that they call the East Imperial troops False Imperials... Much like we do. And they slaughter them with little remorse."

The General rubbed her chin. This was... Odd... Unbelievable even... "Did they manage to liberate Vasel?"

"Within a day, working with Militiamen, ma'am." The Lieutenant noted, smiling. By God...

The General had to take a pause, before she spoke softly "What is their emblem...? If the Fates align..."

The Lieutenant's beaming smile brightened even further... "It is a two-headed eagle, comrade General... Its wings spread, talons poised and one eye closed." she responded, making the General stop dead in her tracks.

"... Get the Regiment together from wherever any still alive may be drowning their sorrows. It's been 15 years since the Scarlet Army has had to retreat from our Motherland... For 15 years we've waited for a time like this." The General ordered, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes, her face otherwise stern, not telling emotion. "This is as best a time as any... Send the messages far and wide to all in the Federation... We march to meet these Cadians and our brothers in Gallia within 20 days. And to assist them. As the Amura flows, let us be not found wanting, but instead willing."

The Lieutenant, although a young woman, beamed at the news. She saluted again, then called out "Understood, comrade General Kolchak! The stars shine upon us once more! God is smiling!"

"And our Emperor watches with him from the High Heavens." She returned a small, imperceptible smile to the girl... "Dismissed, Lieutenant Viktoria... Call the young Tsarina and her brother too. Tell her our hope may have been found."

"Ma'am." The Lieutenant nodded, before stepping off. General Aleksandra Kolchak, the Great White Bear of the once unbeatable Imperial Army watched the horizon as the sun broke through the clouds, a beam washing her with light. She raised her hand, blocking the sun, then murmured "So you do smile upon us, Nikolai..." to herself. She gazed east, toward mainland Europa, hand clasping her cane as its Ragnite gem shined a faint light...

"Let the sun shine once more over us as we go to battle, oh Great God on our faraway world of Heaven. One more time, for You and the Tsar." She spoke, then removed a pendant from her pocket. She put her balled fist, it in between her fingers, on her forehead, whispering a short prayer, before finalizing "... And as we march from the Taiga, let none find us wanting... Amen."

... It was time...

Time for the Bear to show her claws again, with blessing from above...

Time to work for the Liberation she had promised their people, from the damnable False Emperor and his traitor children...

From the purists, to those who betrayed him during the Coup and the Yggdist traitors failing to see the truth of his words, not of other gods...

_Za Rodinu..._


End file.
